The Sheffield Eagles continue to fly high in the RFL Championship after their comprehensive 54-0 victory over Barrow Raiders at the Olympic Legacy Park Stadium on Sunday.
The popular Jesse Sene-Lefao was named on the bench for the Eagles, making his first appearance of the season, while notable absences included half-back Anthony Thackeray and former Hull KR stalwart Kris Welham.
For Barrow, there was a debut for Fin Beardsworth, who joined on a short-term loan deal earlier in the week from Wigan Warriors, and Brett Carter returned to the side in the centres.
The game kicked off at a later time than scheduled due to the video replay system being down.
However, we eventually got underway, and the Eagles had the first penalty of the game just minutes in, as the Raiders were penalised for a high shot on Joel Farrell.
Soon after, Barrow scrum-half and creative outlet Ryan Johnston was forced to leave the field due to a head injury.
A break from Jack Hansen down the left-hand side looked as if it would lead to the first try of the afternoon, but the resulting pass was dropped by his partner in the halves, Cory Aston, who looked to have slightly overrun it.
The away side’s first moment of excitement came after a poor Eagles pass was capitalised upon by Luke Broadbent, who ran on to his own kick to take his side up the field, and could have gone all the way save for a trip on the half-way line.
Both sides went over the line in the minutes that followed, with Ellis Gillam for Barrow held up and Eddie Battye for Sheffield being denied due to a knock-on.
However, Alex Foster made a break through the Barrow defence, and a clever short pass from Aston gave Battye the opportunity to go over the line again: this one counted, and Aston added the extras from wide to make it 6-0 to the home side halfway into the first half.
A minute later, a special run from James Glover gave Jack Hansen the freedom of Sheffield to make it a quick one-two for the Eagles, and an easy kick for Aston made it 12-0 on the scoreboard.
They were really turning on the style, and Joel Farrell then crashed over to extend the lead before quick hands down the left, and clever footwork from try-scorer Glover, meant it became a one-two-three-four! Aston continued his 100% kicking record to make it 24-0.
That’s how it remained through half-time, and early on in the second half, Barrow had the ball right on the Eagles’ try-line.
However, a pass wide from Brad Walker was intercepted expertly by winger Ben Jones-Bishop, who ran the entire length of the field to score his 50th try for the club.
This one, finally, was a bit too far wide even for Cory Aston to kick.
Things got even worse for the Cumbrian outfit almost immediately from kick-off, as Farrell’s break allowed him to send Kyle Wood away to score one that was a lot easier for Aston to turn into six points.
After some great work earlier in the set from Glover, a Hansen grubber kick to Bayley Liu on the right resulted in yet another try, and it was all too easy as he strolled in to set up an easy Aston kick between the sticks.
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Yet another break brought some excellent work down the middle from Jones-Bishop, Hansen, and finally James Glover, who scored his second of the afternoon.
Tyler Dickinson became the next name on the scoresheet just a few minutes before the final hooter as he twisted his way powerfully over the line to take the Eagles to 50, and Jack Hansen, filling in for Cory Aston, who was on the bench, scored the conversion.
The excellent afternoon was then rounded off by Hansen, who kicked a penalty after the hooter to take them to an unbelievable 54 points in the game.
The Eagles finish the weekend equal on points with Wakefield Trinity at the top of the table, behind by just two on points difference.
Next up for Mark Aston’s side sees the top two face each other at the OLP Stadium on Friday 3 May.
HALF TIME: Sheffield Eagles 24-0 Barrow Raiders
FULL TIME: Sheffield Eagles 54-0 Barrow Raiders
Sheffield Eagles: Marsh, Jones-Bishop, Liu, Glover, Dawson-Jones, Aston; Hansen, Battye, Halafihi, Dickinson, Foster, J. Farrell, Gwaze
INTERCHANGES: Hodgson, Clark, Wood, Sene-Lefao
18TH MAN: Murphy
TRIES: Battye, Hansen, Glover (x2), J. Farrell, Jones-Bishop, Wood, Liu, Dickinson
KICKS: Aston (x7), Hansen
Barrow Raiders: Cresswell, Bullman, Carter, Broadbent, Shaw, B. Walker, Johnston; T. Walker, Wood, Gillam, Greenwood, Beardsworth, Wilkinson
INTERCHANGES: Forber, Bedward, Silva, Burke
18TH MAN: McMillan
ATTENDANCE: 1,103
Featured Image Credit: @SheffieldEagles via X