LONDON BRONCOS 18 OLDHAM 20
HUW RICHARDS, Cherry Red Records Stadium, Sunday
OLDHAM secured their place in the Championship play-offs at the same time as ending one of the game’s longer jinxes.
While they are well known for failing to make it to Wembley, their other trips to London have not yielded mush success.
Eight consecutive defeats away to the Broncos since 1993 have been spread across six different venues.
In making it seventh ground lucky they had to overcome heroic London goal-line defence which kept the result in the balance until the end.
London too pencilled their name into a play-off place, although in their case for a potential relegation although the proposed super eight now seems unlikely to happen.
London will not mind in the slightest if they are cancelled as Broncos coach Mike Eccles has said, this season has been “not a rebuild, but about survival”.
Another month desperately trying to scrape together limited resources is the last thing that they need or want.
London’s fourth two-points defeat of the season, in which the lead changed hands five times, owed much to Oldham’s three former Broncos, with Josh Drinkwater kicking magnificently, and the four refugees from the ongoing debacle at Salford.
It was Drinkwater’s 28th-minute 40-20 which shifted momentum after the first quarter had been dominated by London and they were rewarded when the outstanding Sadiq Adebiyi forced his way over the line after 15 minutes, with Leeds loanee Jack Smith converting.
From the restart after the 40-20, Ryan Brierley chipped neatly into the corner for his fellow Salford escapee Ethan Ryan to claim a debut try, which Drinkwater converted from the touchline.
Five minutes later another ex-Bronco, Morgan Smith, fired a further 40-20. London were caught offside under the posts and Drinkwater kicked the simple two-pointer which was ultimately decisive.
But London regained the lead just on half-time when Adebiyi made a break and from the subsequent penalty Lewis Bienek forced his way over on the sixth tackle. Smith converted to make it 12-8 at the break.
But just as London dominated the early stages of the first half, Oldham were in control from the start of the second
London defended magnificently, which was all the more admirable in the absence of their injured skipper Will Lovell, postponing his equalling of London’s all-time appearance record of 197 appearances.
“The pressure tells in the end,” said Eccles and that is what happened when Oldham’s third ex-Bronco Éloi Pélissier supplied the pass that sent Jay Chapelhow between the posts and Drinkwater’s goal restored their two-point lead.
But London were not done and Adebiyi surged into a gap to run 20 metres to the line with Smith’s conversion restoring London’s four-point lead.
But they could not break Oldham’s dominance.
The Roughyeds continued to press London’s line and with 14 minutes left Brierley’s quick hands made time and space for Phoenix Laulu-Togaga’e to cross on the far left.
With the scores level it was a beast of a conversion, but Drinkwater nailed it.
And that was that, with Oldham maintaining their control but unable to add further to their score.
GAMESTAR: Josh Drinkwater’s kicking, both for goal and in open play, was the ultimate difference.
GAMEBREAKER: Drinkwater’s magnificent conversion of Phoenix Laulu-Togaga’e’s final try won the game for Oldham.
MATCHFACTS
BRONCOS
1 Alex Walker
33 Jack Smith
3 Ethan Natoli
2 Chris Hellec
5 Liam Tindall
6 Luke Polselli
7 Connor O’Beirne
8 Huw Worthington
9 Curtis Davies
14 Kobe Rugless
18 Ben Hursey-Hord
12 Sadiq Adebiyi
13 Marcus Stock
Subs (all used)
10 Lewis Bienek
16 Max Wood
22 Matt Ross
34 Tommy Porter
Tries: Adebiyi (15, 59), Bienek (39)
Goals: Smith 3/3
OLDHAM
1 Ryan Brierley
31 Phoenix Laulu-Togaga’e
24 Ben O’Keefe
38 Ben Davies
28 Ethan Ryan
42 Morgan Smith
23 Josh Drinkwater
12 Jack Ormondroyd
9 Matty Wildie
10 Owen Farnworth
17 Elijah Taylor
11 Matty Ashurst
13 Adam Milner
Subs (all used)
15 Jay Chapelhow
30 George Hirst
35 Tom Whitehead
40 Éloi Pélissier
Tries: Ryan (30), J Chapelhow (55), Laulu-Togaga’e (66)
Goals: Drinkwater 4/4
SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 6-6, 6-8, 12-8; 12-14, 18-14, 18-20
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Broncos: Sadiq Adebiyi; Oldham: Josh Drinkwater
Penalty count: 6-6
Half-time: 12-8
Referee: Tara Jones