KEIGHLEY Cougars lost 44-18 at Newcastle Thunder in the Betfred Championship yesterday, in a game that completely got away from them in the final quarter.
The first hour up in the North East saw a gripping clash, with the visitors only trailing 22-18 after Jacob Stead’s converted try on debut.
But the new-look Cougars were missing several players through injury, Oli Burton (foot) and Lachlan Lanskey (hamstring) the latest to add to that list, while Joe Bajer, Alfie Salmon and Ronan Michael had returned to their parent clubs.
That meant four new loanees had to be drafted in at the last minute and perhaps fatigue and unfamiliarity kicked in late on.
Ultimately, Keighley shipped four late tries in just 12 minutes to fall to a heavy defeat.
The afternoon had started badly for Cougars too, perhaps as their new-look side got used to playing with one another.
Oldham duo Emmanuel Waine and Sam Littler, both on loan for the season, started the game, while Leeds youngsters Stead and Joe Diskin came off the interchange bench.
Waine, Littler and their new team-mates appeared to have no answer to Newcastle in the opening 13 minutes yesterday.
Cougars quickly found themselves 10-0 down, thanks to tries from Harvey Reynolds and Jack Smith.
But Keighley regained their composure, Nathan Rushworth hitting back with a fantastic run which led to him crossing the whitewash.
Izaac Farrell added the extras to close the gap further, but Newcastle stand off Cody Hunter scored on the half-hour mark.
His half-back partner Will Roberts converted the try, which gave the Thunder a 16-6 lead at the break.
Keighley needed the first score of the score and they got it, Izaac Farrell powering through and then converting his own try.
The visitors pushed hard to go in front for the next five minutes, but then Tom Inman scored against the run of play.
Roberts made it 22-12 to Newcastle, but back came Cougars, Stead’s try and Farrell’s conversion reducing the gap to four points again.
Ultimately, the game was decided when Jordan Lipp and Joe Law both crossed the whitewash for Newcastle after 64 and 66 minutes respectively.
Roberts added the extras to both tries, giving Newcastle an unassailable 34-18 lead.
Things got even harsher for Cougars late on, Law going over again before Brad Ward’s converted try rounded off the scoring for the afternoon.
The defeat sees Keighley slip to 11th in the 20-team table, with their next game at home to Midlands Hurricanes this Sunday.
The Canes sit fifth currently, but they have already been beaten at Cougar Park this season, losing 18-14 in a gripping Betfred Challenge Cup clash last month.
Keighley head coach Ian Hardman said: “I was pretty unhappy with the first half-hour because I didn’t think we approached the game with the intent we needed to.
“Second half I thought we attacked the game really well, started getting more control and implementing our game plan.
“We had some joy in the areas we’d targeted and we got ourselves bang in it.
“But a bit of a lucky bounce of the ball saw them get a try and then we ran out of steam a bit towards the end.
“It was an interesting game and it’s one we’ll learn a lot from.
“There are areas to work on, but we can’t start the way we did.”
Reflecting on the performance of the four loanees, Hardman said: “I thought they did really well.
“When you bring four new players into any team, there’s always going to be a gelling in period and a lack of cohesion at times.
“I thought they all had their moments in the game which showed why we’ve brought them in.
“The two young lads from Leeds did exceptionally well, Manu produced some really good offloads and Sam’s played a full game in the back row.
“It was played at a decent speed and he hasn’t played for a long time, so credit to him for getting through that.”
Keighley Cougars ‘run out of steam’ at Newcastle Thunder | Bradford Telegraph and Argus
