YORK KNIGHTS 10 HALIFAX PANTHERS 18
GAVIN WILSON, LNER Community Stadium, Sunday
BRANDON DOUGLAS was the star of the show as Halifax avenged the previous week’s 1895 Cup defeat at this ground by beating York in a scrappy game, condemning the Knights to a third successive league loss.
Home coach Mark Applegarth made a number of changes from the team who beat the Panthers seven days earlier.
Suspended prop Jack Martin was replaced by Brenden Santi, winger Ben Jones-Bishop made his second debut for the club after signing from Sheffield, and Joe Brown returned from a hip injury and played at fullback.
Halifax coach Kyle Eastmond also made changes, welcoming back the experienced trio of prop Douglas, centre Ben Crooks and James Woodburn-Hall, who played stand-off.
Both teams were disrupted early on as York fullback Will Dagger pulled up injured in the pre-match warm-up, while Halifax lost dual-registered St Helens centre Konrad Hurrell to a hamstring injury after just five minutes.
Halifax struck first after 15 minutes thanks to a piece of individual brilliance from George Whitby, the dual-registered halfback chipping over the York defensive line before gathering a kind bounce and diving over to the left of the posts. Louis Jouffret converted.
Halifax stretched their lead with a 23rd-minute penalty-goal by Jouffret, but were reduced to twelve men for ten minutes as Zack McComb was sinbinned for a professional foul on Liam Harris.
York failed to capitalise however, as the rest of the half was littered with errors.
Jouffret dummied and stepped past a flailing Ata Hingano to score three minutes into the second half, next to the posts, but hit an upright with the conversion attempt.
Jouffret remarkably hit a post again from almost exactly the same spot with a penalty-goal attempt ten minutes later.
York finally got on the board with 15 minutes remaining when the ball was worked out to the right to Jones-Bishop, who stepped inside his man to score. Harris missed with the touchline conversion attempt.
York reduced the deficit to just two points with the try of the game, as Hingano arced across the defensive line, allowing Levi Edwards to race away and send the supporting Oli Field home to score, Harris improving.
The game was finally settled with 60 seconds remaining. York started their final set just metres from their own line and as Edwards probed for a way through, Douglas expertly stole the ball one-on-one before grounding it under the posts right in front of the delighted away fans. Whitby tagged on the two.
GAMESTAR: Halifax prop Brandon Douglas not only came up with the match-clinching try, but was a workhorse in the pack on a warm day.
GAMEBREAKER: Douglas’ perfectly-timed ball steal in the last minute secured Halifax a well-deserved victory.
MATCHFACTS
KNIGHTS
2 Joe Brown
34 Ben Jones-Bishop
3 Kieran Buchanan
20 Oli Field
23 Levi Edwards
6 Ata Hingano
7 Liam Harris
10 Brenden Santi
9 Paul McShane
13 Jordan Thompson
11 Jesse Dee
12 Connor Bailey
19 Sam Cook
Subs (all used)
14 Taylor Pemberton
15 Jack Teanby
24 Harvey Reynolds
33 Mitch Clark
Tries: Jones-Bishop (64), Field (73)
Goals: Harris 1/2
PANTHERS
1 Louis Jouffret
2 Ben Tibbs
31 Konrad Hurrell
4 Ben Crooks
5 James Saltonstall
6 James Woodburn-Hall
32 George Whitby
8 Brandon Douglas
9 Adam O’Brien
16 Ronan Dixon
12 Adam Tangata
19 Zack McComb
13 Jacob Fairbank
Subs (all used)
7 Jack Hansen
10 Joe Hird
17 Will Calcott
20 Brad Graham
Tries: Whitby (15), Jouffret (43), Douglas (79)
Goals: Jouffret 2/4, Whitby 1/1
Sin bin: McComb (28) – professional foul
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6, 0-8; 0-12, 4-12, 10-12, 10-18
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match:
Knights: Oli Field; Panthers: Brandon Douglas
Penalty count: 7-10
Half-time: 0-8
Referee: Cameron Worsley