Sheffield Eagles go five wins out of five against Rochdale
Sheffield Eagles continue their superb unbeaten run by seeing off Rochdale Hornets
Sheffield Eagles’ winning streak continues, becoming five in five after this weekend’s dominating 56-6 victory against Rochdale Hornets at the MEPS Home of Football Stadium.
Sunday’s fixture marked the second game in a row that the Eagles played on their own home turf, and the side came into it hoping to build off of their current strong form within the Betfred Championship.
The squad that beat Workington Town 38-12 the week prior remained mostly unchanged, but head coach Craig Lingard did bring Corey Johnson in at hooker, and Josh Hodson started at second row, moving Connor Bower to the bench.
There was a tense atmosphere throughout the opening minutes of the fixture, with strong defence from both squads preventing any scoring opportunities.
An almost try from Greg Eden that was stopped short by a knock-on came in the 11th minute, but it wasn’t until the 18th that the Eagles managed to state their claim on the scoreboard first, with a crashing dive beneath the sticks from Connor Fitzsimmons.
Some more exceedingly close attempts followed, with the highlight being a dive over the line from Martyn Reilly, but that was deemed to be a knock-on.
However, just 10 minutes after their last, Greg Eden managed to double the Eagles’ advantage following a powerful sprint towards the tryline.
Shortly after, Sheffield got another, with a pinpoint pass from Jordan Abdull putting Kieran Gill through to batter his way over the line, giving the hosts a comfortable lead going into halftime.
In the early stages of the second half, Kai Morgan continued his scoring brilliance from the week prior, with a quick dash through an open gap in the Hornets’ defence.
A strong looping pass down the wing from Greg Eden put Joe Brown through to get a comfortable try in the corner, as the Eagles began to run away with the game.
However, the visitors did get their name on the scoreboard next, with Lewis Hatton pushing his way over the Eagles’ tryline to give Rochdale their only points of the day.
But Sheffield didn’t slow down after conceding, following up with a moment of brilliance from Jordan Abdull, as he provided a perfectly weighted kick that sailed straight into Greg Eden’s hands and pushed him straight through to score his second of the day.
The Eagles’ onslaught continued, and Jack Bussey outstrengthened Rochdale’s defensive efforts to cross over to gift his side a 36-point advantage.
Billy Walkley was the next to get his name on the scoresheet, after a flying pass gave him the space to dive into the left corner.
Connor Bower increased the gap in the scoreline further, after a blinding run straight through open space.
But to close out the fixture, in the closing minutes, a display of pure offensive brilliance that spanned from one end of the pitch to the other ended in Billy Walkley crossing over for his 2nd of the day and his 23rd of the year.
The Eagles will hope to build towards six wins in six next Sunday with yet another home fixture, this time against Halifax Panthers (3pm KO).
Sheffield Eagles: Eden, Brown, Oakes, Gill, Walkley, Morgan, Abdull, Fitzsimmons, Johnson, Reilly, Foster, Hodson, Griffin
Interchanges (all used): Bower, Bussey, Butterworth, Bowes
18th Man: Broadbent
Tries: Fitzsimmons (18’), Eden (28’, 56’), Gill (33’), Morgan (42’), Brown (45’), Bussey (65’), Walkley (68’, 78’), Bower (71’)
Goals: Morgan (8/10)
Rochdale Hornets: Flanagan, Boyd, Ashton, Sa’u, Chippendale, Dallimore, Paga, Ioane, Waterworth, Barratt, Wood, Braddish, Syme
Interchanges (all used): Whitmore, Hatton, Roby, Andrade
18th Man: Dayes
Tries: Hatton (53’)
Goals: Flanagan (1/1)