Thunder demolish Oldham ambitions

DEFEATED MEN: Roughyeds' Sam Gee's second try hardly stemmed the tide

GATESHEAD 40, OLDHAM 14

ROUGHTEDS were smashed to smithereens by Thunder’s explosive opening salvo — and never fully recovered.

After only 20 minutes Oldham were 16-0 down, Lewis Palfrey was hobbling and Phil Joy was back on the bench with mild concussion.

This must-win game for Oldham couldn’t have started more badly. You sensed even then that Thunder had Roughyeds sussed — just like Hunslet at the South Leeds Stadium in April, Hemel Stags at Pennine Way in June and York at the Huntington Stadium in July.

This 40-14 hammering on Tyneside makes four in total, all away and all when opponents have got stuck in from the start, established early authority and demonstrated a desire to dominate.

Word has spread that Scott Naylor’s team, at home the only unbeaten side in the division, doesn’t like it when its feathers are ruffled away.

Oldham is still second only to leaders York in terms of least defeats. But while York has picked up a maximum three bonus points and Hunslet four from five, Oldham has one from a possible four - and has conceded 176 points in those four away defeats, an average of 44 a game — an astonishing number for a top three side.

Here Oldham players were rocked on their heels and forced into error by the strength and tenacity of their opponents. The home side went 10 perfect sets before making its first mistake - and by that time it had already exposed the Oldham defence three times.

Thunder raced into a 24-0 lead in 46 minutes, before the visitors enjoyed their best, brief spell between the 54th and 65th minutes, which produced a try for Nathan Mason and two for Jon Ford.

At 24-14, with Thunder starting to look past their best, Oldham fans sensed that there might be a rousing finale, but their optimism was cut short: the outstanding Meads sent in centre Chris Heil for a killer try.

It was all over by then: more tries by Meads and prop Lee Fewlass merely underscored Thunder’s superiority. Oldham finished truly beaten, bruised and battered.

Few players emerged with reputation intact, but Roper strove tirelessly in a lost cause behind a beaten pack; Sam Gee, who played most of the game at full-back, worked hard; Josh Crowley was forceful on the left; and the best Oldham props, Mason and Paddy Mooney, both came off the bench.

Early injuries to Palfrey and Joy, neither of whom could return, were major setbacks.

Joy was injured when he was flattened by a big hit and landed head first on hard ground.

In a second half that became increasingly tetchy, Thunder’s Chris Heil was sin-binned for deliberately slowing down a Ford play.

And five minutes from time Brett Robinson was put on report for striking out in a melee that involved several players from both sides and which resulted in a penalty to Thunder as play resumed.