Recap
A convincing 28-0 victory was the ideal start to an exciting year for the club. A battle in terrible conditions show cased some outstanding defence from the Hawks outfit who fought hard to keep the Hemel Stags from scoring this afternoon and proved they are going to be genuine contenders this year.
After a delayed start the game got underway, but a knock on from the kick off was just the start of a string of forced errors for the Hawks. It took the visitors the first 15 minutes to adjust to the conditions and take back control of the game. Things calmed down and an opportunity came knocking for them, new signing Andy Ballard caught a difficult high ball before sprinting half the field; throwing off any players that stood in his path, he was unlucky not to have gone all the way. A cross field kick on the play that followed was almost the making of the first try but an awkward bounce on the drenched surface saw it just drift away from the hands of Mapals. Positive things followed, Danny Maun was the driving force outside and was punishing the Stags outside backs, but despite his intentions, the Hawks still struggled to turn the efforts into points. The home side had regained possession and it looked as if they would be the first ones to score but the officials got the visitors out of danger as he made the decision that the pass in the lead up had gone forward and no try was awarded. That seemed to have sparked the Hawks into action and Ansell sent Kain over just left of the posts at last on the 30 minute mark. Ballard converted and the Hawks looked much more comfortable a try in front. The Hunslet outfit could have played out the dying minutes of the first 40 safely but with confidence fuelled they went looking for more points. Liam Mackay managed to dive over the whitewash on the sound of the half time hooter after great vision by Liam Hood to push his side 10-0 in front for the break.
The almost faultless defence continued into the second half, quick line speed and the challenges we had seen in pre-season from the Hawks John Oakes and Aaron Lyons were vital in slowing down the speed of play. Houston powered over the line for Hunslet early on and the game was fast becoming dominated by the Hawks. An admirable effort from both sides as the weather worsened, but it was again the Hunslet outfit who were set to score as a result, Andy Ballard proved a very watchable player this afternoon and it was his arching run that granted him his first try of the competition as he slid over the whitewash and pushed the bonus point out of the Stags hands. As the Hawks threw themselves back into things skipper March and 2014 season recruit Liam Hood created a slick and strong attack which formed the foundations for the last try of the afternoon. James Houston again forcing his way over, Ballard kicking his fourth from five conversions of the afternoon the boys had inflicted a major blow to the Hemel side.
Barry’s side handled the Stags well for 80 minutes and a 28-0 victory could have potentially been more had the ground been drier. The Hawks had made things difficult for themselves in short periods but there were lots of positives that can be taken from this display in horrendous conditions.
See you next week for our first home league fixture against old rivals York City Knights.
Hunslet RLFC Line up
17. Michael Haley
16. Lewis Reed
15. Brooke Broughton
14. Liam Hood
Sponsored by: Colin & Kath Smith
13. Liam Mackay
12. Aaron Lyons
Sponsored by: Linda Hemingway
11. John Oakes
Sponsored by: Leeds Bacon Company Ltd
10. Luke Stenchion
Sponsored by: J Mulkeen & Co Builders Ltd
9. David March
Sponsored by: A & R Construction
8. James Houston
Sponsored by: Stephen Bower Bespoke Joinery
7. Danny Ansell
6. Thomas Coyle
Sponsored by: Yorkshire Signs
5. Andrew Ballard
Sponsored by: Barry & Norma Harding
4. Danny Maun
Sponsored by: Norty Forty
3. Lee Brickwood
Sponsored by: Eric Simon
2. Lee Mapals
Sponsored by: Leeds Bacon Company Ltd
1. Stuart Kain
Sponsored by: Beth Hampshire
Timeline
00:29 Stuart Kain Try
00:30 Andrew Ballard Goal
00:40 Liam Mackay Try
00:58 James Houston Try
00:59 Andrew Ballard Goal
01:04 Andrew Ballard Try
01:05 Andrew Ballard Goal
01:08 James Houston Try
01:09 Andrew Ballard Goal