Long’s praise for defensive resilience to see out victory

Sean Long, the manager of Roughyeds, was happy with his team’s defensive play in preventing a Sheffield comeback in Sunday’s 24–

12 victory over the Eagles.

Craig Lingard’s team scored two tries after the half to set up a nerve-wracking conclusion, but Oldham was unable to cause any more

damage despite having a comfortable 16-point advantage at halftime.

Long was impressed by the amount of defensive effort Roughyeds put in to hold the Eagles at bay before a late try from Owen

Farnworth sealed the victory.

We had guys flying out, scurrying, and working hard for each other throughout the last fifteen minutes, demonstrating some true

tenacity.

“I think those areas got us over the finish line. Morgan Smith tackled someone in the corner, and Jay Chapelhow ran back to save a

try.”

“We gave them too much possession, made too many yardage mistakes, and lacked discipline, even though Sheffield only made one

mistake in the second forty.”

It was quite different from how we began. During the first twenty minutes, we were exceptional and at the top of every department.

“The scoreline reflected our strong ruck control, high completion rate, and relentless kick chase, but we had another lull in which we

gave up three penalties.”

As his squad prepares for some pivotal games against Bradford, York, and Featherstone, Long believes they can improve on their

recent performance and put on more reliable performances.

“Aside from the first game against York, we haven’t put together an 80-minute performance all year,” he said.

“We accomplished it in little bursts. Someone is in for a good hiding as soon as we do it for longer stretches of time over the entire

game.

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