DEWSBURY RAMS 20 WORKINGTON TOWN 36
DAVE PARKINSON, FLAIR Stadium, Sunday
WORKINGTON had to withstand a second-half comeback from Dewsbury for their first success at the FLAIR Stadium since 2013, all but sewing up a top-four finish in the process.
The visitors built a solid 22-4 half-time advantage with a controlled approach, good kicking and three tries went their way in the last 15 minutes of the first half.
Early on, both teams traded errors before Town opened scoring in the seventh minute. This came when Jake Carter cleverly fired the ball to the left, looping for Andy Djeukessi to dive in by the flag.
It became something of a midfield slog for most of the next twenty minutes with the Rams unlucky when Liam Copland was adjudged to have knocked on after Jacob Hookem somehow released the ball in a four-man challenge as he was seemingly heading into touch.
Back came Town and a rare offload from Callum Farrer found zippy fullback Zarrin Galea, who beat three players in a fifty-metre surge to the line, turning them inside and out after 27 minutes. Galea followed up with a second try on the half-hour, ghosting Carter’s shoulder and bursting between two defenders from close range for a 0-16 advantage.
Dewsbury finally got on the board when Paul Sykes fed the ball right and Crag McShane pierced the defence out wide. Town responded quickly as Jamie Doran kicked intelligently for Jake Carter to score and then convert again.
Keenen Tomlinson knocked on with the line at his mercy in the final seconds of the half.
The visitors started the new half superbly with Galea’s hat-trick score. Castle offloaded in his own half and Doran blasted forward before placing another great kick forward.
Then came the Rams’ fightback as Hookem went over wide out and veteran Sykes goaled.
Punctuating this, Carter struck a penalty goal after Hookem was found guilty of not wrapping his arms in an attempted tackle on a busy Levi Atiga.
That made it 10-30, but tries after 54 and 67 minutes by Tom Delaney kept the Rams in the hunt. The first came from a scrum play and sparkling offload from Jordan, while the second came after a kick was followed by a succession of passes and a further kick with the athletic winger eventually taking advantage of some Dewsbury hot potato Rugby League.
As the Rams continued to flood forward, Copland also saw a second try disallowed because of a forward pass.
Town weathered the storm and took control of the closing stages, with Guy Graham seeing a try wiped off due to a forward pass before the otherwise impeccable Craig McShane spilled Carter’s shallow high kick, and parried it into the grateful arms of Atiga, who burst through to score under the posts. Carter kicked his sixth goal and Workington celebrated victory.
GAMESTAR: Stevie Scholey led his side with a superb 65-minute stint in the middle of the field, taking the battle to Dewsbury’s bigger pack.
GAMEBREAKER: Levi Atiga’s last-minute try secured a rare win in Dewsbury for Town.
MATCHFACTS
RAMS
30 Craig McShane
27 Tom Delaney
3 Caelum Jordan
4 George Senior
22 Liam Copland
6 Dan Coates
7 Jacob Hookem
8 Jackson Walker
31 Jack McShane
13 Dec Tomlinson
15 Keenen Tomlinson
14 Joe Summers
16 Louis Collinson
Subs (all used)
26 Paul Sykes
36 Jamie Gill
19 Jack Briggs
37 Tenneson Neagle
Tries: C McShane (36), Hookem (47), Delaney (54, 67)
Goals: Hookem 0/1, Sykes 2/3
TOWN
1 Zarrin Galea
4 Andy Djeukessi
29 Spencer Fulton
3 Rio Corkill
2 Levi Atiga
28 Jake Carter
7 Dom Wear
8 Ross Ainley
21 Callum Phillips
25 Callum Farrer
23 Lennon Clark
30 Mason Lewthwaite
10 Stevie Scholey
Subs (all used)
9 Jamie Doran
24 Lucas Castle
16 Guy Graham
13 Jack Stephenson
Tries: Djeukessi (7), Galea (27, 30, 41), Carter (39), Atiga (79)
Goals: Carter 6/7
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-4, 0-10, 0-16, 4-16, 4-22; 4-28, 10-28, 10-30, 16-30, 20-30, 20-36
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Rams: Craig McShane; Town: Stevie Scholey
Penalty count: 9-4
Half-time: 4-22
Referee: Denton Arnold