WHEN your opponents have the likes of Eddy Pettybourne and Scott Murrell on the bench, you know you’re up against a side that’s moving up in the world — and moving fast.
This ’new’ Keighley Cougars, with 11 wins from 11 outings; with a four-point lead at the top of Betfred League One; and with the best attacking and defending records in the division by far, are in that commanding position for a reason.
They’ve got the cash to splash and they’ve assembled a squad that’s already - at one game beyond the half-way stage – looking more than capable of going up to tier two automatically as League One champions. They are red-hot favourites, that’s for sure.
Murrell, who has undone many a Championship team in the past while masterminding Halifax’s attack from stand-off, had to settle here for a replacement role as Dane Chisholm, another big signing, took the game by storm.
On the day Cougars threw ex-NRL men Pettybourne and Junior Sa’u at us on debut, — Sa’u on the left wing, Pettybourne off the bench — but Keighley’s 62-0 win was orchestrated not by them but by Chisholm and his half-back partner Jack Miller.
Either Chisholm, Miller, or both, played a key role in most of Keighley’s 11 tries, scored by Miller (2), Webster, Agoro (2), Roebuck (2), Sa’u, Levy, Parker and Feather.
Miller also kicked nine of the 11 conversion attempts — five from five in the first half and four from six in the second.
Roughyeds trailed 30-0 at half-time after starting off up the slope and into the teeth of a stiff breeze. They were on the back foot from the start, Cougars going short with the kick-off and regaining possession.
In that set, and only a couple of minutes into the game, Miller sailed through a big hole in the visitors’ defensive line for the opening try. A couple of minutes later they were in again.
This time, Roughyeds were punctured down their left side and two or three plays later Jake Webster had a walk-in at the corner.
At this early stage of the game, Roughyeds worked themselves into good-ball situation but Martyn Ridyard’s high pass to the right wing was misdirected and ran into touch.
And so it went on. Cougars seemed to have nearly all the ball, maybe because Oldham’s poor handling returned it to them so often, and they could certainly make good use of it.
Cougars continued to score at regular intervals throughout the second half which was notable for three yellow cards. The first went to Chisholm for dissent and the second and third went to Cameron and Windrow respectively for what appeared to be comparatively minor incidents after a succession of ‘handbags’ involving rival troops.
In the last few minutes, when Roughyeds conceded 18 points, they were down to 11 players and also had replacement hooker Dec O’Donnell incapacitated with an elbow injury.
COUGARS: Young; Agoro, Roebuck, Graham, Sa’u; Chisholm, Miller; Everett, Feather, Parker, Webster, Levy, Gaylor. Subs: Kesik, Murrell. Pettybourne, Bailey.
OLDHAM: Restall, Cooke, Morgan, Carr, Hartley; Ridyard, Hewitt; Flynn, Jinks, Spencer, Windrow, Thornton, Whittel, Subs: Cameron, Andrade, Coventry, O’Donnell.
Ref: Cameron Worsley; HT: 30-0; Pens: 8-5; Att: 2,427.
