No end to Dore Moor losing run
MACCLESFIELD travelled to Dore Moor on Saturday where Sheffield Tigers ensured the Cheshire side failed to register a first ever win at the ground.
With the wind against them in the first half, the visitors trailed to two tries within the opening five minutes, first Packard going through the Macc line and then last season’s top try scorer in the division, Jamie Broadley, going under the posts. Duffy converted both tries.
Despite the wind inhibiting their forward play, some early opportunities were spurned by Macc.
Sam Parry jumped on a handling error by Pete Swatkins in the Sheffield ’22 but the Priory Park outfit couldn’t find a way through. Parry was again involved as he broke down the right with a solo run, and an offside penalty came at the next break down which Morton put in the corner and, but for a slightly misplaced pass in a backs, Lomax and Hall would have isolated the Tigers full back.
The home side seemed to have the edge at the scrum in the first half hour and a penalty won in their own half laid the platform for their next score as they broke down the left and Frank Wragg went under the sticks.
Tigers’ bonus point arrived as Swatkins had a walk in following strong carries from their second rows, the half ending 28-0 to Tigers.
The half time turnaround meant Macc had the benefit of the strong breeze in their favour for the second half and they started well enough. Macc had scrum ball in the home 22 and with their newfound superiority set up a number of phases before Jordan Simpson went over from close range on 48 minutes, converted by Morton to make it 28-7 with 32 minutes left. Game on.
Macc had shown great character to come out of the traps quickly in the second half and hit back straight away, but their Yorkshire hosts were not giving anything away and had not read the script as they returned fire immediately. Macc dropped a ball in their own half and then conceded a penalty which led to Broadley scoring again.
This didn’t deter Macclesfield despite the obvious uphill task they faced and Sam Parry made a glorious solo break being stopped just short before Morton was held up over the line and a yellow card was given to Swatkins.
Phase after phase was built in the home side’s ’22 but the visitors couldn’t find a way through despite the man advantage. Then, a penalty for a dangerous hand off against Simpson was awarded and Tigers managed to break to go the length of the field and end any hopes of a comeback, that man Broadley again scoring.
The game opened up in the last 20 with Sheffield brimming with confidence, scoring twice more before the end, while the Cheshire side squandered their only other opportunity after a positive maul in the corner.
It was a disappointing scoreline but both sides had 10 opposition 22 entries so it was clear Sheffield were just more clinical.
Head Coach Marshall Gadd was in philosophical mood after the game.
“You have to look for the positives in any defeat and we will learn a lot more from that game than if the score were the other way around, we will have to look at the video which will highlight a few workon’s for us which moving forward is a positive thing,” he said.
“We have a few boys coming back from injury and we just have to find the positives out games like of today, there’s nothing we can do about the result now, its about how we react to it. We have a week off next week fixture-wise so it will be an opportunity for us to maybe get some video analysis in and have a look at where we need to improve moving forward.”
Macc’s next fixture is at home to Tynedale on the 17th November.