Skolars “a team to be reckoned with” according to winger Finigan

Since the arrival of Jermaine Coleman three seasons ago, London Skolars have been looking up in League 1.

Coleman, a former Skolars player himself, has brought the likes of ex Super League duo Omari Caro and Vinny Finigan to the New River Stadium after guiding the club to the League 1 Shield final last season.

Finigan has been at London for the past two months and he has been impressed with the club’s professional footing and a squad filled with potential.

“I’ve really enjoyed it,” he said.

“I’m a big fan of Jermaine.

“London Skolars are a team to be reckoned with. They have been slowly developing for years and players have come to Skolars because of Jermaine and how he is as a coach.

“It’s a real professional setup at the Skolars, the facilities are great.”

Currently ninth in the table, one point adrift of Newcastle who are in the final playoff spot, London – by Finigan’s own admission – are “a dark horse team”.

Finigan while playing for Batley Bulldogs. Credit: loverugbyleague.com

But the ex-Keighley man is confident his new side can challenge for a top five spot, saying: “I think we are definitely in contention for the playoffs, we just need to be smart against the teams below us,”

“We were rocky at the beginning of the season, we made some mistakes but had some good results.

“I think we are definitely have the potential to make the playoffs.

“We have not got stylish players compared to the likes of York but we are working with what we have.

“We have two (League 1) teams down in the south with us and Hemel and whenever clubs came to play London, they used to think they had an easy game but now that is out of the window.

“We have proved when you play London Skolars, we are a dark horse team.”

The next two matches will test the Skolars squad to its limit as they host Doncaster and Whitehaven.

Having lost heavily to York and Newcastle so far this season, lessons need to be learnt if London are to come away with anything as Finigan admitted: “We need to work on a few things,”

“The way I look at it against the likes of York, Haven, Doncaster is that they have got something to lose but we haven’t.

“We need to do the good things, prepare well (although) we have not done too well with injuries in the past few weeks.

“It’s important to get the win but it’s also important to perform well collectively.”

But even if the Skolars are unable to cause a shock against the big-hitters, there is still a lot of room for optimism in the capital.

Cougars flying under promotion radar

Photo credit: Total RL

The signing of experienced prop forward Darrell Griffin handed Keighley Cougars some media attention in the past fortnight but their name hasn’t regularly cropped up in the League 1 promotion conversation.

And that works perfectly for their coach, Craig Lingard, as his troops sit in the playoff places after seven rounds with notable victories over Newcastle and Hunslet under their belt.

Keighley have had to deal with losses to Oldham, York and Bradford but Lingard is confident his side can keep up in the promotion race.

“These last three or four weeks at the club, since the Bradford game where everyone was down with the performance and the result, we have come together and worked really hard,” he said.

“We had a chat as a group of individuals about what we were doing wrong, what we needed to do right.

“It’s really important we win the games against the teams around us like Whitehaven. We are both sat on eight points, if we can take two points off them then they have to win two more games to get back above us.

“We are confident as a group that we can maintain that top five position.”

The Cougars’ latest acid test comes on Sunday against ‘Haven’ at Cougar Park.

Having won 75% of their home matches in 2017, confidence is certainly the buzzword around the camp as they enter the contest following a convincing 34-14 win over Newcastle last weekend.

When asked how big of an opportunity it is to lay down a marker against last year’s playoff finalists, Lingard commented: “It is a big one,”

“We are flying under the radar a little bit.

“The Bradford result took us away from many people’s thoughts about what we can achieve this year but behind the scenes we have been working away quietly.

“If we can get the win on Sunday against a really strong Whitehaven team, who have won their last six matches, people might start looking at us and have a different expectation of us and maybe looking at us to slip up.

“At the minute, we are under the radar and it’s quite easy for us but if we start picking up these points, climb high in the table and remain there deep into the season then a different expectation will come on to us.”

The club’s forward pack was boosted by the signing of former Super League prop Griffin.

Lingard lauded his new recruit, who racked up his 400th career appearance in the Cougars’ last match against Thunder.

“He’s only been at the club a couple of weeks but you can see the professionalism he has brought,” he added.

“The guys who are sat in the changing rooms can see they have got someone of that quality going out on the field with them and it is a massive benefit.

“He’s coming towards the end of his career but he’s in great condition and that’s testament to him.

“It’s great for the younger lads to learn from someone like Darrell and obviously he’s here for the remainder of the season but we are certainly looking towards next year to keep him down here so we can benefit from his experiences then as well.”

With Griffin firing on all cylinders as Keighley aim to stay within the playoff picture, fellow League 1 clubs can’t afford to underestimate the Cougars.

“Battling” Barrow excited for Toronto test

Barrow Raiders resume their rivalry with Toronto Wolfpack this afternoon as they host the Canadian outfit in the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup.

Both sides won promotion from League 1 last year and have settled well in the Championship, with the high-spending Wolfpack top of the league while Barrow sit ninth.

The Raiders have been in exceptional form on home turf, losing just once in almost two years, beating the likes of Leigh Centurions at Craven Park and drawing with the Wolfpack in the league.

Raiders boss Paul Crarey knows the challenge that faces his troops, especially given the pitch won’t be boggy like the last time the two teams met.

“The lads are excited about it this week,” he said.

“With Gareth O’Brien and Ashton Sims coming to town, they are at full strength and it’s a dry track this time which will suit them.

“We have worked all week on recognising spaces because that’s what they do well.

“They are blowing everyone away at the moment, only us and London have got anything out of them this year.

“It’s something for our crowd to come and enjoy.

“The Barrow public appreciate good rugby and effort and if we can do that and compete with (the Wolfpack), I’ll be happy come 5pm on Sunday.”

Despite the home record going out the window against Featherstone last weekend, the challenge of beating the Raiders on their home patch is still something other teams will find menacing.

Making Craven Park into a fortress has been a few years in the making, as Crarey explained: “It’s something we built up in League 1,”

“If you want to get promoted then you have got to win all of your home games and pick up a few on the road.

“I think we only lost two league games last year, one against Toronto and the other against Whitehaven away.

“We then beat Whitehaven twice, once on their patch in the 8s and then in the final.

“Our fans are great, they help us.

“Even against Featherstone, the whole of the Popular Side stayed behind and were chanting. It makes a big difference”

The victory over Leigh and draw against Toronto will be the talking points of Barrow’s season, whatever happens.

With a chance to add another chapter to their book of shock results, Crarey admitted the Wolfpack will need to be off their game for Barrow to have a chance of progressing.

“It’s about the start (of the game),” he added.

“They (Toronto) started really well against us last time and should have had a couple of tries that they bombed.

“It’s about us hanging on in there. We hung on and came from behind to beat Leigh.

“Against Toronto we were down and got points late on to get the draw.

We are fighting and battling for wins that’s what we have got to do.

“We have got to be at our utmost best and they have got to be complacent.

“We need composure, complete well, find some spaces and if we do that then we will be in the game.

“It’s a massive ask on a fast track.”

Massive ask or not, the one thing Championship teams have learnt so far this season is that you never write off the Raiders.

Sheffield Eagles v Swinton Lions – 5 Things We Learned

Well, the Eagles won. Only just, but they did. After Sheffield stormed into a comfortable first half lead, Swinton – with help from a quick hat-trick from full-back Jack Murphy – got back into the game and looked the more likely to win in the final quarter. However, just like the two previous times the teams have faced each other in 2017, Sheffield had enough to get over the winning line and claim an important win ahead of their trip to the capital on Sunday. Here’s five things we learned from the victory..

Remy takes over

With Simon Brown out of the side, Remy Marginet showed off his kicking ability in open play and it was terrific. Playing alongside Brown, Marginet has been the runner of the partnership – taking on the line and trying to force a gap and an offload for supporting forwards. But against Swinton, the French international showed the other part of his game and he had a stormer. Long may it continue, whether it be with Brown in the halves or this man…

Richardson shines on debut

Danny Richardson staked a claim for a regular spot in the Eagles side with an eye-catching performance on debut. His goal-kicking was near perfect, seven from eight attempts, while he also came up with a really important try in the latter stages to put Sheffield eight points up. It was a brilliant all-round  performance by the dual-reg Saints man, who will prove to be real competition for Brown in the halves in the weeks ahead.

Shaky defence

Dear god, they don’t half put the fans through the mill! Sheffield were absolutely flying at 22-0 but were then undone by three tries scored by Lions full-back Murphy, all off the same shaped play pretty much. It reminded me of the time when Batley half-back Dom Brambani twice jinked his way to the line against us a few weeks back, despite the fact he did that same move in Eagles colours for over half a decade in two stints. Don’t fix what isn’t broke would have been the Swinton talk after Murphy’s first try and they got their reward for feeding the full-back two more times and it was game on heading into the second half. Then, despite the good work in attack by the Eagles, Swinton made great ground in the forwards and also forced a few clean breaks. From this, half-back Chris Atkin was near to his scheming best by marshalling the players around the park. Fortunately for the Eagles, they had enough to see out the game but they will need to smarten up against London or it may get ugly.

Backs on the bench?

Once again, Eagles coach Mark Aston stuck an outside back on the bench – this time in the shape of Paddy Flynn. The former Super League player gave a good account of himself in crunch time, taking up a few big hits and making his presence known. The competition in the backs means that Aston may have to keep putting one of the players on the bench, to keep everybody fresh and with the Eagles’ rotten luck with injuries it may prove helpful mid-match. Curtis Wilson played well against KR from the bench and whether he gets a game against the Broncos remains to be seen while Ryan Millar will have good memories against London, where he played his first professional game and hit the ground running by scoring a brace.

Garry’s back!

Garry Lo returned to the team and bagged himself a try with moments to spare as the former Intrust Super Cup machine got back to his scoring ways. Lo certainly looked all the more better after his week away from the match day squad and his lively runs from dummy-half, as well as those from Ben Blackmore, certainly helped the side create good field position. Lo is still, comfortably, the Championship top try-scorer with 22 tries to his name and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Super League clubs linked with his signature in the coming off-season.

Sheffield Eagles v Hull Kingston Rovers: 5 Things We Learned

Sheffield Eagles gave a respectable performance against Hull Kingston Rovers on Sunday but still fell short at the hands of the Championship table-toppers. Here are just five of the things we learned from that game..

Credit: Alex Coleman

Brown-Marginet combination yet to fully blossom

This is to be expected after only two games playing alongside each other. However, this partnership has a real chance to elevate the Eagles into a Championship Shield contender – mainly down to Simon Brown and Remy Marginet’s individual games complementing each other. Brown is a potent kicker, both at goal and in-play, and the former Halifax man has had a decent first season back at the club while Marginet has recently signed from Lezignan. Against the Robins, Sheffield had their backs against the wall for most of the first half which meant the duo weren’t able to really influence the game as much as they would have liked. The second half was a different kettle of fish altogether as Sheffield’s more expansive side came to fruition. Brown was good with the boot while Marginet showed a bit of his support play alongside a rather dangerous running game. Swinton are next up, could that be the game we see the partnership really flourish?

The forwards muscled up, to the delight of us all! 

After two horrid showings, the Eagles – and their forward pack – stood up to KR and were strong in the tackle on most occasions. Obviously there was going to be times where the likes of Shaun Lunt and Zach Dockar-Clay were going to break in the middle of the field, and that did happen a bit too often, but overall it was a good performance from the forwards who had a tough job on their hands. We needed to see a response and we got a positive one at that. Scott Wheeldon had a terrific performance while the likes of Greg Richards (more on him next), Mark Mexico and Will Hope were strong and direct in attack. Let’s hope it continues this weekend!

Oh when the Saints..

The weekend marked the start of our partnership with St Helens and we had two players come on dual-registration from the Super League club. Jake Spedding made a return to the Eagles after a brilliant stint earlier on in the season while Greg Richards laced up for a first start. Spedding, alongside Ben Blackmore, was given a tough job on the same flank as Justin Carney and the KR debutant bagged himself two tries. Spedding did get his own back in the second half by taking the Aussie into touch. The youngster didn’t get much of an opportunity in attack but when he had the ball, he ran it in well and made some good yards after contact. Meanwhile, Richards gave a good account of himself by also making decent yardage despite a couple of knock-ons. With the Eagles’ injuries mounting up both in the backs and forwards, this partnership – albeit on dual-registration which nobody really ‘likes’ – will work in our favour if we can select Spedding and Richards most weeks.

Competition for places in the backs

As previously mentioned, injuries have played their part over the past couple of weeks and it’s been quite sad to see Garry Lo and Menzie Yere out there while carrying injuries. Both of the PNG guys were dropped from the squad against Hull KR, replaced by Spedding and Millar while debutant Curtis Wilson started on the bench. It was never going to be easy against the Robins but the backs showed their worth with decent showings. Millar has been on the fringes this season so a good run in the side will do his confidence the world of good. His strong carries are valuable, especially deep in our own half. Wilson also contributed well from the interchange. The now former Union player had a few runs out of dummy-half and looked a strong customer while he also had a good time of it in defence by helping a KR player into touch. The fluency wasn’t where we needed it to be but it’s easier said than done against a full-time team whose line speed in defence certainly rattled us in the early going. The competition between the backs is good for the club and hopefully it spurs the team on to good things towards the business end of the season.

Unsung heroes on the scoresheet 

It was great to see both Kyle Trout and Liam Johnson get over the whitewash against Hull KR. In a brilliant second half performance, the two back-row forwards crossed in the latter stages of the tie and took their tries well against rather lax KR defending. Trout showed a good step before hitting the line while Johnson got out of a tackle to touch down. Trout has had decent game time this year for the Eagles and has looked good during the games while Johnson, who can also play at centre, hasn’t been as regular in the first team. Both performed well and they deserve the credit, something which has gone amiss at times this year.

Huddersfield Town 0-0 Sheffield Wednesday

Huddersfield and Sheffield Wednesday cancelled each other out in the first leg of their Championship playoff semi-final.

Huddersfield midfielder Izzy Brown came closest to breaking the deadlock as he clipped the bar with a weak effort in the first half.

Nakhi Wells had two chances for the hosts in the second half but Wednesday keeper Kieren Westwood was alert to both shots. 

Wednesday’s most notable effort came from Adam Reach, who fired wide from 20 yards.

Heading into the playoffs, both sides had lost their last fixture so the opening stages of this match were expected to be lively.

In front of a noisy home crowd, Huddersfield dominated possession from the outset as Wednesday were unable to get a foothold.

Brown spurned a golden opportunity in the 23rd minute after capitalising on indecisive defending by Glenn Loovens. The winger lost his balance before striking the woodwork from eight yards out.

In a rather unspectacular half with few chances, Wednesday will have been content at going into the break all square.

Wells tried an audacious chip from 20 yards but Owls stopper Westwood was equal to the danger as he tipped over the bar.

Moments later, Wednesday had their brightest chance with Reach firing wide from distance.

Westwood was on hand again to stop Wells, who could only strike the ball straight at the Ireland international from close range. 

With just over six minutes of normal time remaining, Wednesday midfielder Barry Bannan struck a shot over the bar as both teams failed to find a winner.

2017 – An Eagles Season Like No Other

Things are never straightforward when it comes to Sheffield Eagles RLFC. There’s never been an easy path and that has continued to be the case in recent years with three home grounds, two being rather inadequate and the other at Doncaster’s Keepmoat Stadium. Now the South Yorkshire side are heading to Wakefield for the upcoming campaign. But there’s not just the ground situation to this roller-coaster story as after significant progress was made on the field in 2012 and 2013, alongside a place in the Qualifiers in 2015, things went downhill last year when the club’s first season as a full-time club turned into a near full-blown disaster. A strong finish to the year saw the Eagles survive relegation comfortably thanks to the help of a few midseason signings but things could have turned out a whole lot worse. The upcoming season, as previously mentioned, sees the nomadic Eagles head to Wakefield’s Belle Vue ground after confirmation that they could complete the season as a financially viable club. Contract extensions and new signings have started to be announced and, maybe most importantly, a dual-registration deal drawn up with Super League newbies Leigh Centurions. In this season preview, I will go through the players that have stayed on from 2016 as well as the new recruits that have been announced by the club and coach Mark Aston.

Staying On Board 

It may come as a surprise to a few people considering the situation that Sheffield found themselves in during the off-season but there’s quite a few key figures from the 2016 season that will be donning the red and gold once again when the team next take to the field. Duane Straugheir and Matty Fozard are two players that were big hits with the fans over the past 12 months and they have shown commitment to the cause by staying with the club. There’s also young guns Ryan Millar and Greg Burns who will be fighting for a place in the first team this season. The duo, who have had to wait patiently for their chance, will be hoping to really make their mark on the side over the next nine months or so. Matt James is another player who has made the choice to stay with the steel city club on a one-year contract. The Wales international back-rower brings a healthy amount of experience to the table and if he can replicate his form from the latter end of 2016, the Eagles fans should expect to see some eye-catching performances. The three Papua New Guineans – Mark Mexico, Garry Lo and club legend Menzie Yere – are also sticking with the Eagles and that will come as a massive positive considering how talented and powerful the trio are. Other players that are staying put include the explosive Ben Blackmore, Scott Wheeldon and Elliot Minchella.

Scott Wheeldon will be hoping to replicate the form he showed in the latter stages of the 2016 season.
(Credit: Simon Hall)

The New Recruits 

Even though the club’s future has been hanging in the balance due to talks with the potential new investor, coach Aston has done a great job to get a nice balance on the recruitment front with a mix of youth and experience as well as forwards and backs. The signing of Jordan Cox from Warrington Wolves certainly caught a few people off guard as the forward has been a regular in Super League over the past few seasons despite his recent injury worries. Former Eagles Simon Brown and Sam Scott have made their way back to the club after five years away. Their last appearance for the Eagles was the historic Grand Final victory over Featherstone Rovers in 2012. Workington Town centre Perry Whiteley, who bagged a hat-trick against the Eagles at SHU Sports Park last year, has joined the club. The 23-year-old has his best years ahead of him and Aston will hope that he can provide the club with some great strike power to complement that of Yere on the other side of the pitch. Ireland international back-rower Will Hope, once a loanee at Sheffield, has signed on the dotted line for the year ahead after a couple of years at Oldham. In a disappointing campaign for the team back in 2014, Hope was one of the players that starred and the Eagles fans will be wanting to see more of the same from him. Fellow Irishman James Kelly joins Sheffield as a rather unknown quantity after spending time at the Dublin City Exiles. Aston’s time as Ireland coach seems to be coming to fruition for the Sheffield club and if Kelly hits the ground running, it’s to be expected that the Eagles might go back to the Emerald Isle to seek out more players.

The Dual-Reg Situation 

Aston has been very honest in the past about his thoughts on dual-registration but he has had to bite the bullet this time around as squad numbers are pretty low. A deal with Leigh Centurions couldn’t be timed better and there’s hardly a better club to partner up with when it comes to needing Championship-calibre players as this is the team who have dominated the division for the past couple of years. Neil Jukes’ squad has strength in depth and this will come as music to the ears of Aston, who will be on the hunt for another full-back and half-back at the very least. Leigh’s squad has 28 players in it and a good number of backs which may prove useful to the Eagles. The deal should prove beneficial for both and it will help the Eagles on the pitch as they will need to be as strong as possible in a division which has no weak links.

It’s definitely going to be another interesting year for Sheffield Eagles, and everyone associated with the club. In the circumstances, Aston has done a terrific job to line up as many good players as he’s done and also have Leigh to call on if in need of some players to fill in the gaps. With the team travelling to Wakefield once every two weeks for matches, and having a dual-registration deal for the first time, it’s sure to be an Eagles season like no other.

 

Fierce West London derby ends in draw

The second QPR-Fulham derby of the 2016/17 season ended in a 1-1 draw at Loftus Road on Saturday afternoon. The match was fast-paced and the first action of note was Alex Smithies saving yet another penalty, this time from Chris Martin prior to Ryan Manning – fresh after signing a new contract – slotting home to put Rangers ahead. The hosts kept the one goal lead into the break and it took till the 75th minute for Fulham to equalise through Martin. Both sides pressed for a winner but neither could snatch all three points.

The hosts went into the contest following an impressive 1-0 victory over Reading last Thursday. Meanwhile, Fulham were perched in eighth place and six points off a playoff spot with a game in hand over Sheffield Wednesday.

The first few minutes of the match saw the hosts have good territory with dangerous runs in behind the Fulham defence. Jamie Mackie fired over the bar after being fed by Idrissa Sylla just moments before the latter headed over the bar from a sharp looking Jake Bidwell cross. In a frantic start at Loftus Road, full back Bidwell conceded a penalty – albeit dubious – in the sixth minute for a push on Sone Aluko. Smithies came to the rescue for QPR, though, as he denied Martin with a sublime save. After the penalty, Fulham dominated possession with Tom Cairney at the heart of the midfield as QPR looked rather deflated and flat for a time. The 26-year-old, who is having a brilliant season for Slavisa Jokanovic’s side, launched a stinging shot from outside the area which had Smithies at full stretch but was just wide of the mark. This game always seemed to have goals in it and the deadlock was finally broken on 25 minutes through QPR’s rising Irish star Manning. With an unerring sense of confidence after being granted a chance in the first team by Ian Holloway, the Galway-born midfielder capitalised on a mistake from Kevin McDonald before sliding the ball through David Button’s legs to send Loftus Road into raptures. Despite the goal, Fulham kept pressing and Cairney was still looking dangerous despite limited touches. Lucas Piazon was the beneficiary of some neat play by the former Hull man but his shot was deflected into Smithies’ grasp. Fulham were a lot more fluid with their football, good pass and move runs while QPR seemed more than content for their fellow West London counterparts to have the ball. When the R’s did have possession, Mackie was putting himself about in his usual fashion – running for every loose ball and hoping Fulham would make another mistake. The Cottagers were solid for the remainder of the first period but hardly made Smithies do any work, as the ex-Huddersfield man kept hold of his clean sheet into the half-time break.

In the minutes after the interval, both sides were evenly matched and neither goalkeeper was worked as much as Messrs Holloway and Jokanovic would have liked. Mackie and Cairney were the two players who were in the thick of the action but Aluko, who had an injury scare just a few minutes beforehand, forced the first real save of the half as his shot was palmed over the bar by Smithies. The hour mark had passed when the ball found its way into the back of the net for a second time but Sylla’s hand was the reason Fulham keeper David Button was wrong-footed. The two ever-presents Mackie and Cairney were at it again soon after, but this time with the former giving the ball away on the halfway line which led to the latter having the ball in the six yard area but unable to get the shot away. The pressure kept mounting on the hosts and Fulham appealed for a second penalty for a potential handball by Grant Hall but referee Keith Stroud was having none of it. The pressure that Fulham had piled on soon told as Martin made amends for not converting the penalty as he deflected a Cairney shot into the net with 75 minutes on the clock. Jokanovic’s men were smelling blood after they broke through the R’s defence and a looping shot from Aluko had Smithies on red alert and the keeper tapped it over the bar. Martin’s goal sparked the game into life and Rangers substitute Conor Washington forced a smart save from Button in the Fulham goal, with Mackie just not quick enough to tap in the rebound. The dying embers of the match saw tensions rise to heated levels which saw QPR assistant coach Marc Bircham sent to the stands. The game petered out in stoppage time with neither side able to snatch all three points. QPR face Burton Albion at Loftus Road in their next match while Fulham take on Reading.

 

Leigh snatch last minute win

In a match which could have gone either way, Leigh Centurions showed their worth as the division’s top team as they scraped past Sheffield Eagles 34-30 at SHU Sports Park.

Gareth Hock’s 79th minute try stole the spoils for the visitors, who had already been crowned the League Leaders Shield winners coming into the game.

The Centurions were 18-16 up at half-time but it was the hosts who started off the better of the two sides, as they went into a 16-4 lead. Menzie Yere broke the deadlock for Sheffield before Leigh responded through a waltzing Gregg McNally. Duane Straugheir and Scott Wheeldon then registered a four pointer each as the Eagles moved two scores in front. But you can never take your eyes off the Centurions, and they showed why with tries from Tom Armstrong and Martyn Ridyard as well as a last minute penalty goal, kicked by the latter.

Sheffield regained the lead after the restart. Nathan Chappell was sent over the whitewash by a wonder pass from Eagles full-back Quentin Laulu-Togagae. Cory Aston converted from the touchline to put the South Yorkshire club 22-18 ahead. Andrew Dixon levelled the game with the final quarter approaching and the result was well and truly in the balance.

On 64 minutes, Dixon was at the forefront of the attack once again as he picked up an Aston grubber and sent Eze Harper away for a go-ahead try. Ridyard added the extras but the Eagles weren’t dead and buried despite the hammer blow they’d received. Yere doubled his tally for the afternoon, which cut the deficit to just two points. Aston was as cool as can be with the conversion that followed.

Sheffield won a penalty in kicking territory during the last five minutes and they opted to take the two points. Aston put Sheffield in the lead and they seemed to be closing in on a rather remarkable victory. However, Mark Aston’s side conceded a penalty on halfway for a flop and that gifted the Centurions with a massive chance to win the game. It was a chance they took with aplomb. Gareth Hock burst on to a timely offload and Laulu-Togagae couldn’t stop the former Super League regular from touching down.

Oldham triumph in bottom half clash

Oldham Roughyeds moved out of the Championship relegation zone with a 24-16 victory over Sheffield Eagles at SHU Sports Park.

The Roughyeds went ahead on 35 minutes and their lead stayed put for the remainder of the contest as they defended valiantly against an Eagles team who failed to back up their performance from last week against Featherstone.

It was the hosts who drew first blood as Cory Aston touched down in the fourth minute after the half-back supported a break. He added the extras to his own try. However, just moments later, Oldham responded with a four pointer of their own courtesy of Castleford Tigers loanee Kieran Gill. Lewis Palfrey was successful with his conversion attempt.

On a rather damp surface at SHU Sports Park, there was a lot of dropped ball and indiscipline which led to a stop-start game. Lewis Palfrey capitalised on the Eagles’ indiscipline as he edged the visitors in front with a penalty goal, which came a minute after Matty James was denied a try in the 22nd minute as he crossed the whitewash from a forward pass.

It didn’t prove a long wait for the Eagles to double their tally as Quentin Laulu-Togagae provided the support for another dangerous break, this time from former Oldham man Adam Neal. Aston converted for a 12-8 lead. The final say of the first half went to Roughyeds hooker Kenny Hughes, who exploited bad defending by roaming to the try line. Palfrey added the extras.

Liam Thompson bagged the first try of the second half on 45 minutes as the forward barged past some questionable defending once again. Palfrey slotted over the conversion. Sheffield had a good spell of pressure heading into the final quarter and they got their reward by cutting the eight point deficit to just four thanks to a debut try from Stan Robin. Aston was unsuccessful with his conversion attempt.

Despite pressuring the Roughyeds try line, looking for an equalising score, there was just no way through for Sheffield and they paid the price down the other end when Lewis Foster touched down with three minutes remaining. Palfrey then missed his first conversion attempt of the night but that didn’t matter to the Roughyeds, who will go into next weekend’s match against Swinton Lions with confidence.

Prediction – Sheffield by 14

Result – Oldham by 8