Great eight as Oldham dominate rivals

WHAT A RESULT: Lewis Palfrey (second right) leads the celebrations.

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OLDHAM 38 KEIGHLEY COUGARS 8

IN terms of quality performances, Oldham picked up where they left off in Wrexham.

It’s eight wins in a row now for Scott Naylor’s men, including five against members of the northern powerhouse and the last two of those against teams just below them in the league and from the higher Championship division last year.

Combined, North Wales Crusaders and Keighley Cougars were smashed 61 points to 14 on Sundays in which Roughyeds were head and shoulders above their opponents in every way.

Did they look like champions-elect? You bet. Promotion material? Without a shadow of a doubt.

The challenge for Oldham’s super-fit battlers over the last five games of the regular season is to maintain the consistency that has put them four points clear at the top.

This was another game in which Oldham’s forwards were absolutely immense. Despite pre-match suggestions he might make changes, Naylor went with the same 17 who won in Wrexham, and the big men of the pack – Adam Neal, Phil Joy, Danny Langtree, Josh Crowley, Sam Gee, Liam Thompson and Michael Ward – again reigned supreme.

It took bundle-of-energy Gee, starting at loose-forward, only three minutes to latch on to Richard Lepori's inside ball at full gallop and charge through the gap to score. It was a razor-sharp thrust by the multi-talented vice-captain.

Thompson’s form has also gone up a few notches, while Neal, Joy, Langtree, Crowley and Ward played like they always play – powerfully, aggressively and with steely determination.

Oldham’s peerless pack was at its best going down the slope in the second half. Having established an impressive 18-4 interval lead on the upward journey in the first half, Roughyeds kept a firm grip by keeping the ball tight in the middle and pounding the Cougars into submission. Neal, Joy and Ward were immense as Oldham added three second-half tries to the three they scored before half-time.

Both sides suffered injuries during the warm-up. Cougars player-coach Paul March felt his Achilles tendon go – a massive blow to the Yorkshiremen, while Oldham winger Jack Holmes picked up a painful foot injury and decided to battle on. He played 80 minutes on one leg - scoring the third of his side's six tries in the process.

Adam Clay on the other wing had to quit close to half-time with a rib injury, causing a reshuffle.

In a repeat performance of the blistering start they made at Wrexham, Oldham were 12-0 up while late-arrivals were still entering the ground.

Gee scored first, after impressive handling by Owen, Lewis Palfrey and Lepori, and with only 10 minutes on the clock Lepori went behind the posts, this time on Steve Roper’s inside ball.

Keighley replied with a try in the corner by left-winger Josh Guzdek.

But Oldham scored a third try, George Tyson pouncing on a loose-ball deep inside the home half to set off on a long run that achieved the platform for Palfrey and Roper to usher Holmes in at the opposite corner

Points-machine Palfrey kicked the goal off the touchline for an 18-4 lead, with the benefits of the slope still to come.

Cougars couldn’t live with the home side in the second half. It was mainly one-way traffic with Oldham adding further tries by Palfrey, Langtree and Thompson and Palfrey finishing with seven goals from eight shots – a penalty and six conversions.

They headed up the tunnel to a standing ovation from fans, who are starting to believe that this could be Roughyeds’ year.