Buffaloes put the Vikings to the sword.
Andy & Devon Johnson
At their first encounter, the Buffaloes hosted the Vikings, who faced a team strengthened by the returnees from West Leeds RU.
The Buffaloes wasted no time in making their presence felt, scoring their first try in the 6th minute. Following excellent approach play, acting half-back Brad Wilson forced his way over the line from just a metre away. This was converted by Colin Cobley, who brought his kicking shoes to today’s match. The Buffaloes took a 6-0 lead.
In the 12th minute, the Buffaloes were over for their second try, thanks to a lovely cross-field kick taken by Colin Cobley, who out-leapt his opponent to score wide out on the right. Cobley’s successful conversion of his own try extended the Buffaloes’ lead to 12-0.
The Buffaloes continued their scoring streak in the 27th minute, with Sam Neave returning to the field and making an immediate impact. Neave carved his way through the Vikings defence before passing to Ethan Macfarlane, who scored under the posts. Colin Cobley added the conversion again, making the score 18-0.
The Buffaloes’ dominance continued, and their fourth try followed in the 30th minute with Sam Neave casting his spell on the Viking defence. The trusted boot of Colin Cobley added the conversion, extending the lead to 24-0.
However, in the first half’s final minutes, the Buffaloes made two costly mistakes that led to the Vikings scoring twice. The first mistake came when the Buffaloes attempted to score down their right, but the final pass found the Vikings fullback, who ran 60 meters to score under the posts. Then, before the Buffaloes could take a breath, a Vikings kick on the final tackle looked innocuous, but as the famous saying states, never let a kick bounce. Still, the Buffaloes did, and it bounced kindly into the Viking’s hands for them to score again under the posts narrowing the Buffaloes’ lead to 24-12.
Half-time Score Buffaloes 24–12.
The second half started positively for the Buffaloes as they dominated the early exchanges. Ben Gaunt scored a well-worked try after a 30-metre dash to the line and a cheeky smile on his face. Colin Cobley added the extra points, making the score Buffaloes 30-12.
However, the Buffaloes again allowed the Vikings to score when penalised for a late tackle. Initially, the referee signalled for a Buffaloes penalty but then surprisingly gave the ball to the Vikings. The Vikings were held short of the Buffaloes line for five more tackles, and as the Buffaloes completed the last tackle of the two sets, the referee gave another penalty to the Vikings for offside. Finally, the Vikings’ prop breached the Buffaloes line to score, making the score Buffaloes 30-16.
In the 65th minute, the Buffaloes were back on form, and Brad Wilson scored his second try of the game, following an excellent break involving several Buffaloes forwards. He launched himself over the line from just 5 metres out to score. The reliable Colin Cobley stepped up with his 6th conversion of the day, making the score Buffaloes 36 -16.
In the 75th minute, the hard-running loose forward and captain of the Buffaloes, Cameron McLachlan, added his points to the scoreboard. He powered his way over from 10 metres out, leaving the ‘would-be’ Viking tacklers in his wake. With Colin off the field, Kacper Mroz stepped up and slotted the conversion over. The score now stood at 42 – 16, and redemption from the Vikings seemed unlikely.
The match’s final try came 3 minutes before the end, scored by wingman Sam Marshall, who had run strongly all afternoon. However, the conversion was missed for the first time in the match, and the score finished at Buffaloes 46-16.
The final score Buffaloes 46 Goole Vikings 16.
Overall apart from two short interludes, this was a solid Buffaloes performance, with several players vying for MOM; the award just fell to Sam Neave, who, on his return, was a constant thorn in the Viking’s side. The win took the Buffaloes above the Vikings into 4th place in the division, and the players are well primed for next week’s clash with 2nd in the table Crigglestone All Blacks.
Buffaloes: 1) Kieran Foster-Matthews, 2) Colin Cobley, 3) Lewis Gaunt, 4) Jonathan Filin, 5) Samuel Marshall, 6) Kacper Mroz, 7) Connor Mcgill, 8) Billy Butterworth, 9) Bradley Wilson, 10) Jacob Oldroyd, 11) Thomas Langton, 12) Bailey Harman, 13) Cameron Mclachlan, Subs (All Used); 14) Ethan McFarlane, 15) Dylan Murphy, 16) Sam Neave, 17) Ben Wilkinson, 18 ) Ben Blanchard, 20 ) Cameron McGill, 21 ) Ben Gaunt
Scorers
Tries: Wilson (6 & 65), Cobley (12), McFarlane (27), Connor McGill (34), B. Gaunt (55), McLachlan (75), Marshall (78)
Goals: Cobley (6, 12, 27, 30, 65), Mroz (75)
Vikings: 1) Benjamin Hodder, 2) Marcus Darley, 3) Jake Douglas, 4) Sam Horner, 5) Luke Brigham, 6) Richard Borges De Oliveira, 7) Thomas Betteridge, 8) Daniel Cook, 9) Iain Craik, 10) Scott Birch, 11) Trevor Wilson, 12) Jamie Francis, 13) Ben Bell, Subs (All Used); 14 ) Max Day, 15 ) Ben Ellis, 16 ) Danny England, 17 ) James Leighton, 18 ) Lee Whitehouse,
19) Matthew Harrison