Posted on Tuesday, 01 July 2008 11:18AM by

It was a game we HAD to win but didn’t, though it was always close, and finally settled by a late Haven try under the posts. So we earned ourselves another point when we could have had all three, though to be honest I think we got what we deserved. Kane Epati was in at centre in place of Langers, Andy Bostock was in the second row while Ryan Smith returned to his best position at stand off. Jimmy Elston and Luke Haigh shared the hooking duties and James Walker added his bulk to the subs bench. Not a bad line-up I thought, though the whisper was that one or two were carrying knocks. Playing into a strong, blustery wind, the Rams were first to trouble the scorers with a penalty to Liam Finn after 7 minutes, though the lead didn’t last long. Haven went straight back to the other end, and when referee Laughton awarded them a penalty it seemed likely they’d level the scores. Instead of taking the 2, they ran it and hooker Graeme Mattinson broke a couple of tackles to go over close to the posts. The try was converted by stand off Tani Manihera and Haven were 6-2 in front. Right away they were through again, and it took a superb tackle from Tom Colleran to halt the move. The early stages had been littered with mistakes from both sides, and the game was approaching the 20-minute mark when Finny kicked his second penalty. We were starting to get into the game, and a good break from Josh Weeden feed the ball to the supporting Finn who went in under the posts. He also added the conversion, and we were back in front at 10-6. This time we stayed there a little longer. It was another 10 minutes before they worked an overlap on the left for winger Craig Calvert to score the try to which Manihera added an excellent conversion. With time running out, Andy Bostock made a good break to feed in Austin Buchanan, only for the final pass to be called forward. There was still time for Tom Colleran to pull off another fine tackle before the whistle went for halftime with the score at Whitehaven 12 Rams 10. Despite the mistakes, it was a close and hard fought game and, with the wind behind us we were still in the hunt. Too often Haven had kicked long, and though they made ground, we were usually allowed the comfort of a 20 metre tap to restart. The question was would we learn from their mistake? The answer was yes! For me, Liam Finn was our best player again, not only for his try and his goal kicking, but also for the variations in his tactical kicking – long kicks… short kicks… always seeking to exploit gaps in the Haven defence. The second half was as tight as the first. Both sides had their chances, only to be thwarted by some good, committed tackling. It was around the hour mark before Haven stretched their lead with a debatable try under the posts from scum half Greg McNally. For me the move was over when the ball carrier was grounded by the Rams defence, and his pass to McNally was off the floor and shouldn’t have been allowed. Still, it was good in Mr. Laughton’s eyes, and that’s what counts. Loose forward Carl Rudd added the conversion, extending Haven’s lead to 18-12. Just as I felt they were starting to get on top, the Rams came back with a try of their own, a close range effort this time from Ryan Smith. Again Finny added the conversion and they were back in the hunt at 18-16. For a while the game swayed back and forth, with neither side seeming able to finish off their chances. In the end it was Haven who had the last word with 2nd row Spencer Miller going over, and Rudd adding the conversion a couple of minutes before the end. Final score WHITEHAVEN 24 – DEWSBURY RAMS 16. Teams: - Dewsbury Rams: - Tom Colleran; Bryn Powell; Kane Epati; Chris Hall; Austin Buchanan; Ryan Smith; Liam Finn; Aaron Trinder; Jimmy Elston; Dominic Maloney; Tere Glassie; Andy Bostock; Josh Weeden. Subs: - Luke Haigh; David Rourke; Martin Robinson; James Walker. Whitehaven: - Gary Broadbent; Ade Adebisi; Rob Jackson; Saia Makisi; Craig Calvert; Tane Manihera; Gregg McNally; Karl Edmundson; Graeme Mattinson; Ryan McDonald; Howard Hill; Spencer Miller; Carl Rudd. Subs: - Carl Sice; Andy Gorski; Scott McAvoy; Matt Jackson. Referee; Mr. R. Laughton. Attendance: - 1,400. Video highlights