Recap
A tough fixture for the Hunslet Hawks as they took on reigning Championship winners the Featherstone Rovers; as the discussion and controversy continues on dual registration Jamel Chisholm joined us today to make his Hunslet debut.
The first half was a struggle the Hawks felt the full force from the Rovers they played on the back foot, and faced a very strong attacking side. Persistent in challenging for possession the Rovers were across the whitewash with barely 5 minutes on the clock a neat chip into the air and Kyle Briggs beat Nathaniel to the jump. Despite efforts from Grimshaw and Helliwell to slip into the line, nothing came of it and the Hunslet boys found themselves facing repeat defensive sets. Ben Kaye rewarded his side the next points with a scoot from dummy half; Dave March had the ball ripped from him but was somehow made to pay as the Rovers scored from the penalty. Early first half pressure had left the Hawks unorganised and the next try was almost predictable as the Rovers side spread it out across the field the visitors failed to react to it and Saxton touched down in the corner. The Hawks thought they’d got across themselves in the following set as Hood put Singleton into the gap he got his arm free but wasn’t close enough and the efforts had gone to waste and the boys were unlucky on this occasion. They did begin to show improvement in there structure and there was some big hits flying about. We even managed to control the Rovers in defence keeping them quiet for 20 minutes but the final 10 minutes saw the Hawks allow 3 tries through Hodgson, Saxton and Worthington all with their names added to the score sheet.
The second half was Hunslet’s to win they had the players they just needed to be smarter and stronger with 40 minutes left to go the Hawks wouldn’t be beaten that easily. After spending most of the first half chasing the Rovers the Hawks came out inspired by skipper March he got his side into good position. This confidence saw them hit ‘Fev’ early with a Tom Bush try in the corner the Rovers didn’t react well and a break in play came as tempers flared and a bust up broke out in the middle of play. Featherstone got a penalty from it and Liam Finn put through a perfect kick for Tommy Saxton who applied the pressure and grabbed himself a hat-trick. Shortly after another one for the Rovers pushed them away from any hope of Hunslet beating them today. However not disheartened Liam Hood started the fight back giving a ball to Brickwood before getting into the gap between the winger and the centre and the Hawks crossed for 4 more points. Brickwood made a brilliant break from deep in his own half the youngster had been consistently good in this difficult fixture. Grimshaw was set for the line but he managed to get the offload away to Lee Brickwood who crossed for one of his own. 36-12 was better than anyone could have predicted and the fight back didn’t stop there. The fans were out of their seats as duel reg player Jimmy Watson dummied past and dived over for the try. As the final whistle blew it was mixed emotions from the fans that were shocked by the quality second half performance but disappointed by the efforts in the first
A score of 36-18 offers alot of positives for the future and hopefully we can build on the mistakes and come back fighting for Doncaster.
Well Done to Barry and the Boys.
Hunslet RLFC Line up
1. Jimmy Watson
2. Tom Bush
Sponsored by: Heineken
3. Josh Nathaniel
4. Jimmy Keinhorst
Sponsored by: In memory of John Hodgson
5. Lee Brickwood
Sponsored by: Eric Simon
6. Danny Grimshaw
7. Luke Helliwell
Sponsored by: Jewson, Leeds
8. Andrew Yates
Sponsored by: Village Urban Resorts South Leeds
9. Liam Hood
Sponsored by: Colin & Kath Smith
10. Brad Singleton
Sponsored by: Available Call 0113 2712730
11. James Houston
Sponsored by: Stephen Bower Bespoke Joinery
12. Tommy Haughey
Sponsored by: Dawn Caley
13. David March
Sponsored by: A & R Construction
14. Paul Hughes
Sponsored by: The Mortgage Guide 0113 2198395
15. Jamel Chisholm
Sponsored by: A1 All Cars Ltd
16. Steve Lewis
Sponsored by: Leeds Bacon Company Ltd
17. Luke Menzies
Sponsored by: Fred & Jane Hopkins
Timeline
64:00 Tom Bush Try
74:00 Liam Hood Try
77:00 Lee Brickwood Try
79:00 Jimmy Watson Try
80:00 David March Goal