Boss Sean Long hailed “dynamite” full-back Phoenix Laulu-Togaga’e after an electric Oldham display fired them top of League 1 with a 74-0 demolition of Newcastle Thunder.
The Roughyeds ran in 13 tries, four of them scored by forward Adam Lawton and two apiece for PLT and Cian Tyrer, as a vocal Boundary Park crowd saw Long’s men make it six wins out of six in style.
The win, coupled with Keighley’s surprise home defeat by Hunslet, sends Oldham above their rivals to the top of the table with a game in hand.
“We felt in previous games that we weren’t sharing the workload, so I wanted everyone to get touches and carries,” Long told Roughyeds TV.
“When you have got Lawton running through for four tries that is pleasing. PLT is dynamite, he reminds me of a young Kyle Eastmond. I played with Kyle as a kid coming through at St Helens, a natural footy player. Our spine of 6-7-9-1 was on the same page, and the more Phoenix runs then the better for us, he’s a smart rugby player.”
Danny Craven started the scoreboard rolling after just two minutes, leading try scorer Tyrer breaking down the left and finding Craven in support to score. Jamie Ellis added his first of 11 successful conversions in bright sunshine.
PLT then scored a fine solo try, before Ellis sent Lawton in for his first, the Roughyeds racing into a 16-0 lead inside ten minutes.
Tyrer then weaved his way through a confused Thunder defence, and Lawton added his second - again sent through by Ellis. Jay Chapelhow helped himself to a try under the posts, exploiting a huge hole in the Newcastle defence, before Mo Agoro rounded off the first-half scoring with the finishing touch to a sweeping move started by Tyrer’s break down the left, Lawton providing the final pass for a 40-0 half-time lead.
There was no let off after the break as Tyrer crossed in the corner for his second thanks to captain Jordan Turner, who then got his own try from PLT’s pass. Lawton completed his hat-trick as he forced his giant frame over, and PLT grabbed his second with a fine dummy and stretch.
Substitute Logan Astley finished off another Tyrer break for try number 12 before Lawton scored his fourth to round off an almost flawless afternoon.
“You look at 74-0 on the scoreboard and I loved the lads’ desire to keep them to zero when they had all that pressure on our tryline in the last few minutes,” added Long.
“They stuck to the gameplan, our system was to challenge the edges and play with width and freedom and they did that so I was really pleased. We wanted to put on a decent show for the crowd and they got behind us as we played a good brand of rugby.”
Oldham now head out on the road as work is done on the Boundary Park pitch, with a free weekend next week before the long trip to take on Cornwall.
Oldham: Laulu-Togaga’e, Agoro, Johnson, Turner, Tyrer, Craven, Ellis, Farnworth, Wildie, T.Chapelhow, Gallagher, Lawton, Taylor.
Subs: Astley, Kopczak, J.Chapelhow, Hirst
Newcastle:* Donaghy, Bradley, White, Siddle, Towse, Potter, Bibby, Price, Pemberton, Lowery, Rushworth, Anderson, Hepple.*
Subs: Bate, Reed, Harlow-Stephenson, Mafi
Scorers:
Oldham
Tries: Craven, Laulu-Togaga’e 2, Lawton 4, Tyrer 2, J.Chapelhow, Agoro, Turner, Astley
Goals: Ellis 11
