Rugby League: Rochdale Hornets 16 - 38 Sheffield Eagles

Injury-hit Rochdale Hornets were left to rue missed opportunities in Sunday’s clash with Sheffield Eagles.

The afternoon started off badly, as Ryan Millar opened Sheffield’s account after just four minutes, when he showed enough pace to round his opposite man on the left edge.

Hornets were then forced to defend six straight sets on their line, with the touch judge awarding two penalties, one which denied Deon Cross what could have been a breakaway try. It wasn’t to be though, and the sheer amount of defending caught up with them, as Greg Burns crossed from dummy half.

Corey Makelim crossed for the Eagles’ third score, chiming into the line from fullback to find a gap and race in.

Simon Brown successful with all three conversion attempts.

Lee Mitchell scored for Hornets from Danny Yates’ flat pass at the line, in what was the halfback’s 100th appearance for the club.

An immediate response saw Matty James crash over from close range for Sheffield.

Hornets had the last say in the half as Brickhill burrowed over from dummy half.

Half time: Rochdale Hornets 10 - 22 Sheffield Eagles

Mark Offerdahl knocked on from the second half kick off, and from the resulting set Matty Hadden broke through the middle before reaching out and finding the try line.

It looked to be the momentum shift Hornets desperately needed, only for a familiar face to hit back immediately, as Jack Ashworth latched onto Brown’s kick to reinstate Sheffield's 12-point lead.

The game hung in the balance for the majority of the second half.

Mitchell bombed a certain try with a poor pass to Cross, as it seemed the forward could have gone alone to pick up his second of the afternoon.

Moran was held up over the line despite he and his team mates claiming the ball had found the floor.

Whitaker broke from dummy half on the last play, but after his cross field kick had found Gary Middlehurst Hornets couldn’t finish the move.

The loss of Allen and Moran led to a tired Hornets defence shipping a further 10 points to lose sight of their opponents, as Fozard stepped through the defence before Joshua Toole pounced on Richard Lepori’s knock on inside the in-goal.

The defeat leaves Hornets second bottom of the table with just two points from 10 games.

Rochdale Hornets: Dec Kay, Richard Lepori, Seta Tala, Toby Adamson, Deon Cross, Tyler Whitaker, Danny Yates, Joe Taira, Billy Brickhill, Luke Adamson, Dave Allen, Gary Middlehurst. 
Interchanges: Matty Hadden, Earl Hurst, Pat Moran, Blake Turner.
Tries: Mitchell (31), Brickhill (38), Hadden (42) 
Goals: Whitaker 2/3

Sheffield Eagles: Corey Makelim, Ryan Millar, James Bentley, Matty Costello, Ben Blackmore, Cory Aston, Simon Brown, Shaun Pick, Gregory Burns, Matty James, Jack Ashworth, Joshua Toole, Matty Fozard. 
Interchanges: Kieran Moran, Mark Offerdahl, Oliver Davies, Jonathan Magrin.
Tries: Millar (4), Burns (15), Makelim (28), James (35), Ashworth (46), Fozard (71), Toole (78) 
Goals: Brown 3/4, Fozard 2/3

Referee: Gareth Hewer

Attendance: 459