Griffin stars as Sheffield Eagles strengthen Championship play-off push
Workington downed as Sheffield Eagles continue hot streak
Sheffield Eagles forward George Griffin believes the club have responded in the best possible way to their heavy defeat against London Broncos two months ago, as Sunday's 38-12 victory over Workington Town secured a third successive home win.
The Eagles' first game at the MEPS International Home of Football Stadium after their mid-season move from the Steel City Stadium ended in a crushing 72-10 defeat to Championship leaders London in May.
However, Craig Lingard's side have responded impressively, winning four of their last five league games, including three successive home victories.
Their latest success came on Sunday as Sheffield eased to a 38-12 victory over Workington Town, with Griffin producing a hat-trick to help keep the Eagles within the Betfred Championship play-off places.
The experienced forward admitted the squad had used the London defeat as motivation to improve their performances in Dronfield.
"We said as a group that we'd kind of let ourselves down with our first home game here at Dronfield against London," Griffin said. "We wanted to put that right and give the fans something to be proud of.
"Although we've not had the best-looking wins here recently, we're grinding them out and getting over the line. As long as we can take some of that mentality into the playoffs towards the back end of the year and clean up a few things, I'm sure we'll do well."
The Eagles currently sit seventh in the Championship table, level on points with South Yorkshire rivals Doncaster. However, Doncaster remain above Sheffield in the final play-off place courtesy of a superior points difference and with a game in hand.
Despite Sunday's convincing scoreline, Griffin believes there is still room for improvement, particularly in how the Eagles begin matches.
"It was an outstanding win, but I think we make it hard for ourselves sometimes, especially in the first half," he said.
"I think we're reactive as opposed to proactive at times. We come out and wait for something to get put on us before we sort of kickstart. But it was a tough day and a tough win, and we were able to grind it out in the end."
Griffin praised his side's resilience after another comeback performance, insisting their ability to respond to adversity could prove crucial during the run-in.
"It's been a theme over the last few weeks," he added. "We seem to start slow in games, but then we manage to fight back. That's a testament to our resilience. When we get kicked in the teeth, we don't back down and throw a few back ourselves.
"We managed to get on top after going behind and then were able to come away with the win."
Griffin's hat-trick was complemented by a brace from Kai Morgan, while Alex Foster and Kieran Gill also crossed as Sheffield strengthened their push for a top six finish.
The 34-year-old has enjoyed an impressive first season with the Eagles since joining on a two-year deal ahead of the campaign. Having not scored a try since crossing for Castleford Tigers in a 20-14 victory over Toulouse Olympique in 2022, Griffin has now touched down eight times this season, the best try-scoring return of his career.
"It's nice to go over and score a few," Griffin said. "A couple of them were just being in the right place at the right time today, but I suppose they all count at the end of the year, don't they?".
The Eagles will go in search of a fifth straight win in all competitions this Sunday, and another one at their new home, when they welcome Rochdale Hornets next weekend in Round 21 of the Betfred Championship.
The clash on Sunday 26th July, kicks off at 3pm.