Benson: We have to learn

TONY Benson felt his team didn’t help themselves in what was a tough lesson at Halifax.

The Championship club took advantage of some slack and ill-disciplined play from Oldham to record a 50-10 home win in the Northern Rail Cup pool clash.

Referee Jamie Leahy punished the Roughyeds with a regular flow of penalties in the first half.

And despite being only 14-6 down as the sides changed ends, three early second half scores from ‘Fax did away with any hopes of a comeback.

“As a group we have accepted that you can’t afford to play like that if you want to win games,” said Benson, whose side won their opening NRC game against Hunslet 28-22 last time out.

“We didn’t complete our sets at the start of the first half and gave the ball up too easily in our half.

“The penalties flowed – it was 10 at half-time – and that is a lot of ball for a team like Halifax. It put us on the back foot.

“But the exciting thing for me at half-time was that we had played so badly, yet we were only eight points down.

“If we could have got to our game, we could have taken it and the whole room thought that.

“Then we did the same thing in the second half. Halifax have some wily, clever players who know how to get a penalty out of you. And they did, frequently.

“We just weren’t good enough on the day and we could be and should be.”

Benson will now hope his side can knuckle down and put right the wrongs at Swinton this Sunday.

“It is a big lesson for us,” he added. “If we learn it, we can be a very good team but if we don’t then we will have a difficult year.”

Ben Heaton and Valu Bentley are both doubtful for that game.

Heaton retired early with a groin strain, while Bentley suffered suspected concussion after being hit late by Sam Barlow in the second half.