Recap
Hopefully a fixture against newly promoted Doncaster on home soil would grant us the result the Hawks have been working so hard for.
Hunslet suffered a terrible opening quarter as Doncaster used their big aggressive forwards to steam over the defensive line Kyle Kesik, Brett Waller and Mark Castle all crossed for unopposed tries. 16-0 down after just 12 minutes had us worried and the boys would have to pull something amazing out to come back from this.
Helliwell, this afternoon’s stand in captain, fuelled the fight back with confident attacking kicks catching the visitors dangerously close to the opposition line; a better completion rate and reduced penalty count also helped the side. The defence was almost 100% individuals working hard and the commitment was apparent. The first try was on the cards and composure from the scrum by Grimshaw who fed it onto Welham to touch down. Liam put it down in the corner to reward his side’s efforts. The quick restart didn’t catch Hunslet out they instead transformed it to their advantage, Yates and Achurch were powering forwards; Liam Hood scooted over in the following play for one of his trademark darts. The passion was encouraging from the home side taking no risks especially as they suffered unfairly from questionable refereeing decisions. The Hawks stand off Grimshaw was causing some problems for the Doncaster side he was running the show, caught in a collision just yards out he gave a perfectly timed ball for Paul Hughes to finish off. The home crowd were right behind their team by now and were impressed with the efforts put into turning this game around. Tommy Haughey was running with intent but the ball was ripped loose, Keinhorst was alert though gathering the ball, he powered his way through 5 defenders before touching down an exceptional effort from the young centre. Helliwell slotted a penalty for a high tackle before half time and the Hunslet outfit could go into the break confident they had made the impact needed now leading 24-16.
A slight lapse in concentration gave Carl Hughes the opportunity to slide over. Hunslet wasted no time in making up for the mistake with an outstanding try, Welham tried to get the ball away on the last but it bounced back, Lee Brickwood got it on the rebound and with the tackle count cleared he offloaded to Liam Hood who crossed for his second. The scoring didn’t stop there Keinhorst ran a beautiful line and crossed for his second within 5 minutes of Hood’s. The boys lead with a score of 32-22; Eaton’s side were consistent and worked just as hard in defence, efforts from Oakes and Menzies were wearing down the opposition forwards. Doncaster’s frustration showed 20 minutes into the second half as they awarded Hunslet with 2 penalties that Helliwell put away nicely. Fresh from the bench Stuart Kain wasn’t going to finish without a superb try in the corner. 42-22 the final whistle blew a great game for any spectators and the Hunslet boys had left the fans with a sense of pride in their ability to bring themselves back into the game.
This was a real team effort with everyone playing their part in defeating a strong Doncaster side. Apart from the first 15 minutes the Hawks had played with style and passion and completely dominated the game.
See you next week for the home game against Cumbrian side Whitehaven.
Hunslet RLFC Line up
1. Jimmy Watson
2. Tom Bush
Sponsored by: Heineken
3. Jimmy Keinhorst
Sponsored by: In memory of John Hodgson
4. Liam Welham
Sponsored by: Adrian Jinks
5. Lee Brickwood
Sponsored by: Eric Simon
6. Danny Grimshaw
7. Luke Helliwell
Sponsored by: Jewson, Leeds
8. Luke Menzies
Sponsored by: Fred & Jane Hopkins
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. Mitch Achurch
Sponsored by: Available Call 0113 2712730
14. Paul Hughes
Sponsored by: The Mortgage Guide 0113 2198395
15. John Oakes
Sponsored by: Leeds Bacon Company Ltd
16. Andrew Yates
Sponsored by: Village Urban Resorts South Leeds
17. Stuart Kain
Sponsored by: Beth Hampshire
Timeline
00:18 Liam Welham Try
00:24 Liam Hood Try
00:25 Luke Helliwell Goal
00:31 Paul Hughes Try
00:32 Luke Helliwell Goal
00:34 Jimmy Keinhorst Try
00:35 Luke Helliwell Goal
00:40 Luke Helliwell Goal
01:00 Liam Hood Try
01:05 Jimmy Keinhorst Try
01:10 Luke Helliwell Goal
01:12 Luke Helliwell Goal
01:15 Stuart Kain Try
01:16 Luke Helliwell Goal