SHEFFIELD EAGLES 6 LONDON BRONCOS 48
DAN FOWLER, Steel City Stadium, Sunday
LONDON kept alive their hopes of escaping the bottom four with an emphatic victory over their fellow strugglers.
While the ground was vibrating due to a drum and bass festival nearby, it was visiting fullback Luke Polselli, a hat-trick scorer, and prop Lewis Bienek who buzzed around the pitch to maintain their side’s upbeat tempo.
Polselli bagged himself a first-half brace as the Broncos went into the break 18-6 to the good, Jenson Windley with Sheffield’s try.
It was one-way traffic in the second period as the Broncos outclassed the opposition, keeping the Eagles out while scoring 30 points.
Polselli opened his side’s account on ten minutes as he fed into the line with precision and exposed a gap in the Sheffield defence. Jack Smith converted, the first of eight goals from nine attempts.
It didn’t take long for Sheffield to respond as the Broncos coughed up possession in their first set after scoring. Connor Bower powered onto a short ball before offloading to the onrushing Windley to touch down. Josh Hodson converted.
After winning a goal-line drop-out, the Broncos made their territory count. A drop-off ball for Bienek close to the line was enough for the bustling prop to get through and restore his side’s lead.
The Broncos upped the ante towards the end of the half and got their just reward with a try two minutes before the interval. Quick hands to the right flank opened up space for Polselli, who scored his second of the afternoon despite the attention of Martyn Reilly.
Even the most pessimistic of home supporters couldn’t have envisaged such a collapse by their side as the Broncos took control.
Sheffield struggled to deal with Connor O’Beirne’s kicking for most of the afternoon and Ryan Millar became the latest player to spill one of his deliveries, the ball bouncing perfectly into the hands of Ben Hursey-Hord, who did the rest.
A Smith penalty-goal extended the Broncos’ lead to 20 points with 17 minutes remaining and there was still time for a further onslaught.
Mike Eccles’ men smelled blood and further punished Sheffield with four tries in the final stages.
Another lovely crafted move was finished by Ethan Natoli before Polselli, a clear stand-out for the capital club, completed his hat-trick.
The try which will have pleased the visiting supporters the most came with two minutes to go as Tommy Porter, an Academy product who has returned to the club, supported a Polselli break to register a debut try.
With the hooter imminent, a bouncing ball found its way to Liam Tindall who brought his team to within two points of a half-century. The only blot on Smith’s conversion sheet was the final kick of the game as his attempt strayed wide.
GAMESTAR: Luke Polselli’s hat-trick and overall livewire play gave him the edge for the gong.
GAMEBREAKER: Ben Hursey-Hord’s try on 48 minutes set the wheels in motion for a dominant second-half show by the Broncos.
MATCHFACTS
EAGLES
26 Jack Walker
21 Ryan Millar
3 Kris Welham
33 Josh Hodson
26 Billy Walkley
37 Danny Craven
31 Jenson Windley
8 Eddie Battye
9 Corey Johnson
24 Oliver Roberts
23 Alex Foster
11 Connor Bower
13 Titus Gwaze
Subs (all used)
14 Reiss Butterworth
18 Jack Bussey
30 Martyn Reilly
38 Marcus Green
Tries: Windley (13)
Goals: Hodson 1/1
BRONCOS
6 Luke Polselli
33 Jack Smith
14 Louis Gorman
4 Brandon Webster-Mansfield
5 Liam Tindall
1 Alex Walker
7 Connor O’Beirne
12 Sadiq Adebiyi
9 Curtis Davies
10 Lewis Bienek
11 Will Lovell
3 Ethan Natoli
13 Marcus Stock
Subs (all used)
2 Chris Hellec
8 Huw Worthington
18 Ben Hursey-Hord
34 Tommy Porter
Tries: Polselli (10, 38, 75), Bienek (20), Hursey-Hord (48), Natoli (70), Porter (78), Tindall (80)
Goals: Smith 8/9
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6, 6-6, 6-12, 6-18; 6-24, 6-26, 6-32, 6-38, 6-44, 6-48
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Eagles: Marcus Green; Broncos: Luke Polselli
Penalty count: 6-3
Half-time: 6-18
Referee: Matty Lynn
Attendance: 736