Roughyeds’ best campaign in decades comes to cruel end

Oldham’s best campaign since 1997 came to a cruel end as London Broncos secured a big win to book their place in the Championship Grand Final.

Roughyeds had endured adversity off the field throughout the year, but Alan Kilshaw’s side continued to deliver on it, producing a season to remember.

After losing to Widnes in round two back in February, Oldham embarked on a remarkable 16-game winning streak – the third-longest winning run in the club’s 150-year history.

The ability to find a way to win, even when the odds were stacked against them, became a defining feature of the campaign. That resilience was perhaps best summed up by Owen Farnworth’s dramatic golden-point try, which secured a place in the semi-finals.

Oldham were also the only side to defeat the Broncos during the regular season, one of countless highlights in a memorable campaign. But the Preliminary Final ultimately proved a step too far.

London took control early on when James Meadows crossed, and Roughyeds were unable to wrestle back the momentum.

The Broncos dominated, with Webster-Mansfield, Mathias, Wallis, Smith, Campbell-Gillard and Hawkins all finding scores as London established a commanding 40-0 half-time lead.

Voro, Tchamambe and Bitungane added further tries after the break as the Broncos went on to score 14 in total.

Morgan Smith produced a tremendous solo effort, battling his way through a whole posse of London tacklers to score and draw the biggest cheer of the afternoon from the vocal Roughyeds following.

Jake Bibby also crossed in the corner to bring up the 100th try of his career.

The heavy defeat will undoubtedly be tough to take, but it cannot take the shine off what has been a remarkable year for Roughyeds.

When the dust settles, Oldham can look back with enormous pride on a campaign that has laid the foundations for a new era as they look to build for 2027.