FEATHERSTONE ROVERS once more underlined their Super League credentials with an emphatic demolition of promotion rivals Halifax Panthers.
Despite having the early pressure, Fax couldn’t stop Featherstone grabbing the first points on seven minutes as Chris Hankinson crossed before Gadwin Springer forced his way over moments later. Two Hankinson goals made it 12-0.
Rovers extended their lead to 18-0 on 24 minutes after Matty Wildie’s kick through ricocheted into the hooker’s gleeful arms. Hankinson’s conversion went straight through the sticks.
Hankinson was again on target six minutes before the break when Caleb Aekins danced his way through some soft defending.
24-0 up and Rovers’ defence was finally breached with three minutes to go until the break as, after McKenzie Yei was sinbinned for a high shot, Lachlan Walmsley finished in the corner.
24-4 down at half-time and Fax desperately needed some inspiration from somewhere, but a high shot on Craig Kopczak early in the second-half wasn’t the way to go as Hankinson added a penalty.
And Hankinson was in the thick of the action once more, dotting down off a wonderful half-break from Johnathon Ford. The centre converted to make it 32-4.
Riley Dean waltzed over shortly after, with Hankinson missing his first conversion.
That being said, Fax did register their second on 57 minutes as Keyes’ spiral bomb wasn’t fielded by Luke Briscoe and Walmsley was on hand to catch and acrobatically pounce. Keyes converted to make it 36-10.
Connor Jones hit back for Rovers after James Woodburn-Hall lost the ball and Hankinson added his seventh conversion of the afternoon with Rovers 42-10 up.
Woodburn-Hall atoned for that error with seven minutes to go with a nice run to the line, but Gareth Gale walked over in the corner to round things off. Hankinson couldn’t convert with Rovers now leading 46-16.
Woodburn-Hall added another as the hooter sounded to round off the scoring at 46-22.
Featherstone Rovers
23 Caleb Aekins
2 Luke Briscoe
3 Chris Hankinson
18 Josh Hardcastle
5 Gareth Gale
6 Johnathon Ford
7 Riley Dean
10 James Lockwood
14 Matty Wildie
17 Gadwin Springer
11 Brad Day
12 Elijah Taylor
24 Mathieu Cozza
Substitutes
8 Craig Kopczak
9 Connor Jones
13 Jack Bussey
27 McKenzie Yei
Tries: Hankinson 2, Springer, Wildie, Aekins, Dean, Jones, Gale
Goals: Hankinson 7/9
Halifax Panthers
1 James Woodburn-Hall
2 Lachlan Walmsley
3 Zack McComb
22 Jake Maizen
5 James Saltonstall
6 Louis Jouffret
7 Joe Keyes
31 Kevin Larroyer
9 Brandon Moore
13 Jacob Fairbank
11 Ben Kavanagh
17 Ryan Kang
8 Ryan Tangata
Substitutes
10 Dan Murray
12 Matty Gee
14 Kyle Wood
16 Will Calcott
Tries: Walmsley 2, Woodburn-Hall 2
Goals: Keyes 3/4