Daniel Murray appeared for loan club Halifax RLFC in their emphatic 38-18 victory over Leigh Centurions at the MBI Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Β
Shane Grady claimed a stunning hat-trick, Steve Tyrer earned a brace whilst Brandon Moore and Ben Heaton also crossed to secure consecutive Betfred Championship victories for the first time this season.
The hosts headed into the break with a 28-0 lead but Leigh responded with a double from Craig Hall alongside another score from Rhys Evans, although Fax prevailed to earn a crucial two points.
On-loan Red Devils man Murray, has impressed throughout his time in Yorkshire and Halifax Head Coach Richard Marshall recently revealed the former young forward is an integral part of his plans.
βIβve been really pleased with all the lads who havenβt had much time to adapt. Daniel [Murray] was fantastic and showed his qualities. Heβs a great addition,β said Marshall.
The win moves Halifax up to 6th in the table whilst Leigh now lie 9th, having won just once from six games.
Elsewhere, Gavin Bennion couldnβt inspire Swinton Lions to their first victory of the season at Featherstone Rovers in a game that was overshadowed by a second-half mass brawl.
Despite a slight resurgence from The Lions, Matt Sarsfield and George Tysonβs respective braces werenβt enough for Stuart Littlerβs men to break their winless duck.
Featherstoneβs Misi Taulapapa was sent-off whilst Swintonβs Robert Fairclough and Rhodri Lloyd were sin-binned. The hosts also had Tom Jones yellow carded as ugly scenes dampened an entertaining spectacle.
Swinton now lie joint bottom of the table, only above Sheffield Eagles on points difference. However, Littlerβs side now have a welcomed distraction as they travel to in-form York City Knights in the 4th round of the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup this coming Sunday (Kick-Off: 3pm).
Ryan Lannon featured for dual-registration partners Oldham RLFC as The Roughyeds suffered a narrow home defeat to League 1 promotion-chasing rivals York City Knights.
Matt Reid earned a double whilst Danny Langtree and Ben West also crossed for the hosts, but tries from Matthew Marsh, Kieren Moss, James Donaldson and Joe Batchelor secured two vital points for the visitors.
Paul Crookβs second-half conversion miss proved costly as York ultimately triumphed thanks to Connor Robinsonβs four successful goals.
Despite the result, former Salford centre and Oldham Head Coach Scott Naylor was delighted with his sideβs attitude.
βOur attitude was first class,β said Naylor.
βThe willingness to work was 100-per-cent as always.
βAt the end of the day we lost because we hit a post with a conversion.
βI hope our fans realise how tough this division is going to be and I hope they stick with us like they did the last time we were in League 1.β
Oldham now travel to Halifax for a mouth-watering Challenge Cup tie this coming Sunday (3pm).
Finally, it was a miserable day for Levy Nzoungou and Whitehaven as the Cumbrians slumped to a 44-6 defeat at the hands of Doncaster.
James Tilley dived over from dummy half to claim a score for the visitors in the opening period, though the hooker was soon sin-binned – something which reflected Havenβs luck throughout the contest.
Whitehaven remain winless although they have an opportunity to kick-start their season as their attention also turns to the Cup as Haven host Championship side Dewsbury Rams. Kick-Off at the Recreation Ground is 3pm.
Β
By Ryan Booth
Tag: Whitehaven RLFC
Dual-Registration/Loan Watch | Swinton Lions 12-52 Toronto Wolfpack
Gavin Bennion featured for Swinton Lions as Toronto Wolfpack overhauled Stuart Littlerβs side 52-12, in a ruthless nine try display at Heywood Road. Β
Tries from Mike Butt and Luke Waterworth were mere consolation efforts, as Paul Rowleyβs Wolfpack ran out deserved winners on Sunday afternoon.
Jake Butler-Fleming, Ryan Brierley and Blake Wallace each claimed a brace apiece, whilst Quentin Laulu-Togagaβe, Andy Ackers and Jonny Pownall also crossed over for the Canadian outfit.
Bennion, who has been on loan at Swinton since early February, has impressed during his spell at Heywood Road and his performance in the clash with Toronto again earned the plaudits of Swinton boss Littler.
Former Salford Centre Littler said: βI thought Gav Bennion looked strong again on the ball.
βHeβs challenging people and his footwork looks dangerous.β added Littler.
The defeat means Swinton remain winless after four fixtures and now lie bottom of the Betfred Championship table.
Elsewhere, Levy Nzoungou didnβt feature for Whitehaven. The Cumbriansβ tie at Hunslet was postponed due to a frozen pitch as βThe Beast from the Eastβ blighted the majority of the weekendβs fixtures.
Dual-Registration partners Oldham also suffered a postponement, The Roughyedsβ meeting with Hemel Stags will be rearranged as both the pitch and surrounding areas at the Vestacare Stadium were deemed unsafe.
Gavin Bennion will be hopeful of appearing for Swinton in their next fixture as The Lions travel to Featherstone Rovers with the hope of securing their first victory of the campaign.
Levy Nzoungou will also be in contention of being included in Whitehavenβs match-day squad as Carl Forsterβs side travel to Yorkshire to meet League 1 leaders Doncaster.
Finally, Oldham host York City Knights this coming Sunday, The Roughyeds head into the tie having not conceded a single point in 160 minutes of competitive Rugby this season.
By Ryan Booth
Dual-Reg & Loan Watch | Ryan Lannon returns from suspension
Ryan Lannon featured for dual-registration partners Oldham RLFC in their 14-0 triumph over Levy Nzoungouβs Whitehaven on the opening day of the Betfred League 1 season.
The Roughyeds earned a hard-fought victory in a sluggish encounter at the Recreation Ground, a solitary try from Matthew Wilkinson and five goals from Paul Crook were the ultimate difference between the two sides.
Lannon started the game for Oldham and impressed on his first appearance of the season, following his return from a three game suspension.
Nzoungou, who is currently on loan at Whitehaven, replaced Kris Coward in the opening period after starting amongst the interchanges, but the Frenchman was unable to inspire a Haven comeback as Oldham opened their campaign with a win.
Whitehaven Head Coach and former Salford man Carl Forster said: βWe were far from good enough, completion and discipline killed us.
βWhen we got into vital positions we didnβt take our chances.
βWith 16 in the squad as opposed to 17, itβs always going to be tough against a big Oldham pack.β
However there was no involvement for Salford winger Derrell Olpherts, the outside back was included in The Roughyedsβ 19 man squad for the trip to Cumbria, but wasnβt selected in Head Coach Scott Naylorβs starting lineup or interchanges.
Ryan Lannon could be in contention to start for a second successive week when Oldham host Featherstone Lions at the Vestacare Stadium in the third round of the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup on Sunday 25th February.
In addition, Levy Nzoungou may well feature in the same competition as Whitehaven look to bounce back from the defeat to Oldham when they host London Skolars.
Elsewhere in this weekβs dual-reg and loan watch, Gavin Bennion was included in Stuart Littlerβs starting lineup as Swinton Lions lost 28-48 to Batley Bulldogs in a competitive Betfred Championship clash at the The Salford Stadium.
The defeat means The Lions lie 11th in the table, but the Heywood Road based outfit have the chance to bounce back when they travel to Dewsbury Rams next Sunday.
Finally, Daniel Murray featured for Halifax during their clash with Toronto Wolfpack at The MBI Shay.
Two tries from Adam Higson alongside further scores from Greg Worthington and Nick Rawsthorne cancelled out Chester Butlerβs first half effort for Fax as The Wolfpack ran out 20-6 winners.
Murray will be hopeful of featuring for Halifax when they travel to Rochdale Hornets in the next round of Championship fixtures.
By Ryan Booth
Dual-Reg and Loan Watch | Daniel Murray impresses for Halifax RLFC
Salford Red Devils forward Daniel Murray crossed for a double for Halifax RLFC this weekend after a joining on loan on Thursday.Β
Halifax earned a comfortable 30-10 victory at The MBI Shay on Sunday with Murray crossing for Faxβs first of the afternoon before scoring again in the closing stages.
It took just two minutes for Murray to open his account as Scott Murrellβs kick wide was kept alive by James Saltonstall and Will Sharp before Murray finished the move.
With less than ten minutes remaining Murray powered his way over again on the back of a quick play-the-ball from Will Maher. Murrayβs second extended the hosts lead to twelve points and push Halifax onto victory.
Halifax Head Coach Richard Marshall said: “I’ve been really pleased with all the lads who haven’t had much time to adapt. Daniel [Murray] was fantastic and showed his qualities. He’s a great addition.β
Daniel Murray said: βIt was really good β enjoyed that game of rugby.
βIβm here for some game time so enjoying it.
βI was a bit sloppy with my play-the-ball other than that it was basically run as far as you can and as hard as you can.β
Halifax RLFC posted a full post-match interview with Murray following yesterdayβs game which you can watch here.
James Woodburn-Hall, Ed Barber and Dan Fleming were also on the scoresheet for Halifax while The Eagles tries came from Jack Ashworth and Matt James.
Murray will be in contention to face Toronto Wolfpack at home in Round Three of the Betfred Championship for Halifax next Sunday.
Levy Nzoungou and Gavin Bennion didnβt feature this weekend for Whitehaven and Swinton, respectively. Whitehaven didnβt have a scheduled fixture while Swintonβs game against Rochdale was postponed due to the weather.
Dual Reg and Loan watch – Whitehaven RLFC 30-12 Workington Town
In this weekβs dual-registration and loan watch we just have one player to focus on however Levy Nzoungou made a big impact up at the Recreation Ground for Whitehaven RLFC.
Whitehaven ran out 30-12 winners over local rivals Workington Town regaining the Southward Memorial Trophy in the process. Nzoungou crossed for Town as well as spending ten minutes in the sin-bin.
Nzoungou, sponsored by Payroll Central UK,Β clearly impressed with St Helens forward Kyle Amor tweeting the following:
Workington opened the scoring early on before a 26-man melee broke out which saw Nzoungou get sent to the bin while Miller spent ten minutes on the sideline for Town.
A back-and-forth half ensued with Burns crossing for Whitehaven before Dawson scored for Workington. Again, Haven responded through Gillam before Workingtonβs Miller was then sent off.
Whitehaven then grabbed control of the game with Taylor diving over before Red Devil loanee Nzoungou latched onto a low kick that had deflected off the post to make it two tries in two dual-reg/loan games for the forward.
Haven went on to score two more tries and finish up with a convincing 30-12 win.
Levy Nzoungou joins Whitehaven on a one-month loan
Salford Red Devils can confirm that Levy Nzoungou has joined Betfred League One side Whitehaven RLFC on a one-month loan.
Nzoungou, who is sponsored by Payroll Central UK, joined the Club from Toulouse Olympique in pre-season and featured in both pre-season friendlies against Swinton Lions and Warrington Wolves.
The French forward has also enjoyed spells in the St Helens and Melbourne Storm youth ranks before joining The Red Devils.
Whitehaven face local rivals Workington Town this weekend before hosting Oldham RLFC β both of which Nzoungou will be eligilble to play in.
