Coach kept a cool head

ANTHONY Griffin was a contented man after his side's Queensland Cup win. Never a boisterous or cocky character, Griffin nevertheless did not lose his faith in his charges after their record loss to Toowoomba in the major semi-final. He put the aberration down to a one-off poor outing on the Downs, preferring to concentrate his efforts straight away on the task of eliminating Easts Tigers. That completed, he turned his attention to the Clydesdales, who were raging favourites to claim another title. He smiled contentedly as his side soaked up the pressure of the grand final, gradually strangling the hopes of the young Broncos offshoots. "It was a top team effort by our boys," he said. "It was a real relentless display, even if we had a few things go against us early." Griffin would not say it, but he was obviously pointing out the pass to a try line-bound Grant Flugge which was ruled forward. "Defensively that was the best we played all year," Griffin said. "To get your lowest score against you all year in the grand final is superb. "It was a sign of belief that the side had in itself, especially against a side like that. We didn't allow Toowoomba to play well, but in saying that, the opposition's completion rate was very good and it wasn't until very late in the match that they started turning the ball over." Griffin said those mistakes came from Redcliffe's untiring defence, which kept on turning up despite giving away years in younger legs among the forwards. "Our composure and our relentless defence were what stood out for me," he said. "It was a very physical match but there were not many stoppages." Griffin will line up for the 2007 season with the Dolphins after agreeing earlier in the year to a two-season deal.