Rampant Halifax end Oldham’s season

Oldham suffered a painful playoff exit to Halifax in front of a bumper Boundary Park crowd as the Panthers progressed with a 40-4 victory.

The visitors led throughout to run in seven tries and avenge their two regular season defeats to the Roughyeds in style, on a bruising night for Sean Long’s men.

It means Oldham’s best season for 21 years ends with a fourth place finish in the Championship, but a heartbreaking defeat in the first week of the playoffs.

“I’m really disappointed, for the players and for the fans,” Long told Roughyeds TV.

I’m disappointed our season has finished the way it has.

We were a rabbit in headlights at times.”

Long had Matty Ashurst, Ted Chapelhow, Josh Drinkwater and Ryan Brierley back from injury, with Gil Dudson recalled and the Roughyeds dominated the opening exchanges in front of a packed Joe Royle Stand.

A barrage of pressure had Fax on the ropes and only a Halifax hand stopped a Ben Davies pass sending Phoenix Laulu-Togaga’e in for an early score.

But if the early signs were promising, it would be of no consequence given what would follow.

Halifax went straight up the other end and after forcing a goalline drop out, Charlie Graham pounced on a loose ball from a kick on the last for a 4-0 lead.

After Ashurst was penalised for a high shot Halifax scored again, prop Brandon Douglas this time forcing his way over and St Helens starlet George Whitby adding the extras on a night where he excelled.

Ben Crooks grabbed the third before full-back David Noafoluma danced through before half-time as a stunned Boundary Park watched Halifax build a 24-0 interval lead.

And there would be no let up. James Woodburn-Hall supported a break down the left to score under the posts before Oldham finally touched down through the hard-working Ethan Ryan.

That served only to push the Panthers on, as Graham again and Jacob Fairbank crossed to give Kyle Eastmond’s men a thumping victory and end Oldham’s season.

“We just put in a really poor performance,” said Long.

We started well and had a load of good ball but then it was poor kick - penalty - try and that was it.

You have to take your hat off to Halifax who I thought were outstanding. They played semi-final football, completed high, ran hard, tackled hard, their kicking game was bang-on.

I felt if we had got a try in the first seven minutes when we were on top it would have been a totally different game. They were wobbling at that point but we gave them a piggy back up and we never recovered.

There are a lot of lessons to be learned in that game. It seems like we are saving our worst performances for the semi-finals - the Featherstone one in the 1895 Cup and then this one. We have to look at that and how we fix it.

I want to thank the fans who have been outstanding this season and since I’ve been at the club. I want to thank them for what they have done for me and the team. We will work hard to go one better next year.”

A season of promise and huge growth suffered a bruising end for Long’s men, with Oldham learning a tough lesson in play-off football from an in-form side.

This was a defeat that will hurt, but when the dust settles the Roughyeds should take huge pride in going from League 1 champions to Championship top four in less than 12 months.