Kick in the teeth

Date published: 06 October 2014


HUNSLET 17, OLDHAM 16

OLDHAM hearts were broken yet again in a division grand final game — and by a single drop goal six minutes into extra time.

It ended the Roughyeds’ promotion dream for another year, cost them £12,500 in prize money and robbed them of £75,000 in central funding for Championship clubs.

Neither side could find a way to win in 80 minutes of blood-and-guts rugby league.

Hunslet had enjoyed most of the possession and on balance had looked the more likely side.

But they were denied by a brave Oldham outfit that looked like it was wobbling after conceding tries by James Duckworth and Coyle in the first 15 minutes of the second half.

Having turned a 10-6 half-time deficit into a 16-10 lead, Hunslet were in the ascendancy.

Oldham were hit hard too when Dale Bloomfield went down with concussion during the Hunslet raid that saw Duckworth score in the corner.

Gareth Owen replaced him off the bench, with Jon Ford moving out to the left wing and George Tyson leaving the forwards to take Ford’s left-centre spot.

Oldham were showing signs of fatigue after a huge and at times inspirational defensive effort, but they somehow hung in and got the chance to bite back as Steve Roper hoisted a high kick Gavin Duffy couldn’t hold.

From the resultant scrum, Scott Naylor’s men went for the jugular. Owen went close under the posts, only to be denied by video referee Phil Bentham’s ‘no try’ ruling, before Tyson and Michael Ward threatened the Hunslet line and brought out the best in their defence.

Finally, Danny Langtree took Lewis Palfrey’s pass on the burst to brush past three defenders and score a magnificent solo try which Roper converted on the angle to square things up at 16-16 with the clock running down fast.

Danny Ansell and big Richard Moore had already failed with drop goal attempts and Ansell’s second attempt struck a post and bounced out to Steven Nield.

In a game that was a fabulous advert for the sport at this level — seen by thousands on TV — it was nip and tuck as the clock ran down to the end of normal time.

Coyle, for Hunslet, was first to shoot wide of the target in golden-point time before Oldham worked the ball downfield for Roper to go agonisingly close with a similar effort.

With six minutes on the clock, disaster struck. Lightning-quick Liam Hood broke from dummy half past a tiring defence. Not for the first time, Tyson got back to haul him down, but the damage was done because Hunslet were back in sight of the posts and ready to line up another drop-goal shot.

Ansell dropped back; Oldham defenders rushed to challenge but he kept his composure and handed on to March, who put the ball between the sticks to bring a gripping contest to an end.

While Hunslet’s players jumped for joy in celebration, Oldham’s heartbroken men dropped to their knees in anguish.

A disconsolate club chairman Chris Hamilton, tasting defeat for the sixth time, bravely went on to the pitch to be with his players and coaching staff.

Coach Naylor readily conceded that his side hadn’t played as well as he had wanted and that by making a lot of mistakes Oldham had spent too long in defence.

They got off to a flying start when Roper’s wide pass found Ford, who linked with Josh Crowley before Roper popped up again on the inside to take Crowley’s pass and hit the line. He also kicked the goal.

Thereafter, Oldham were pinned in their own 20-metre zone for long periods thanks to handling errors and a couple of 50-50 decisions that went Hunslet’s way.

Oldham hit back hard as half-time approached and they were rewarded when Roper kicked for the corner, Ford rose above everyone else to collect, and Bloomfield finished off in the corner, too far out for Roper to convert.

The half ended with Hunslet putting in a short-side kick, but it was cleaned up with assurance by Nield, who did everything asked of him in a confident display at full-back.

Oldham’s worst spell was early in the second half when Duckworth went in at the corner. Shortly afterwards Coyle strolled through a defence and crossed under the posts.

Oldham did well to claw their way back into the game, but it all went wrong in golden-point time, leaving Oldham to lick their grand final wounds once again.