On Saturday the Brods faced their fierce local rivals, the Old Crossleyans, for bragging rights, in the first home game of the new season. A large expectant partisan crowd gathered after being entertained by juniors in a curtain raiser. At kick off the field was in excellent condition and the sun was just about breaking through cloudy skies, though threatening rain to come on a breezy Woodhead afternoon.

The Crocs commenced proceedings, kicking off down the slope where Kelly returned play kicking up-field finding touch close to halfway. From the resulting line, the lively Crocs spread the ball across the line from one side to another, going through the phases, and it was no surprise when one of their backs broke the line in the Brods 22 to touch down under the posts after barely 2 minutes played. The successful conversion making the score 0-7 to the visitors.

The next 10 minutes saw Brods trapped in their own half. They were, uncharacteristically, making mistake after mistake and conceding a run of penalties. It was as if the team had never played together. In sharp contrast the visitors were up to the task. The Crocs backs seemed more alert and faster all round threatening to break the line every time they had a run. However, a squally shower, saw knock-ons from each side and the game becoming scrappy. One such error led to a Crocs’ scrum, from which a kick to the Brods 22 enabled Brods’ possession where sloppy passing saw the ball dropped. The ever-alert Crocs scooped up the loose ball to score again near the posts. Surprisingly the conversion was missed, hitting the post and bouncing out, 0-12 to the visitors after 15 minutes played.

From the kick off the frustrated Brods were penalised again for taking down the Crocs catcher whilst off his feet enabling the Croc’s to pin them back in their own 22 once more. The next period saw the Brods playing with more intent, but their backs were lacking penetration. Harry Dunne was leading by example driving forward and tackling firmly but was unable to break out of Brods territory. After another dangerous break from halfway by the Crocs backs and clever kick forced a fumble close to the line by Brods full back Slattery, making his debut on home turf, leading to a scramble by both sides. Slattery was adjudged to have obstructed and was yellow carded giving Crocs excellent field position against the Brods 14 men. After 20 minutes the home team was on the rack.

However excellent defence enabled the Brods to clear the line and move up to the 40m line but soon conceded yet another penalty. On this occasion the visitors elected to take a kick which was duly converted. 0-15 after 25 minutes played. Soon after this point the heavens opened and a heavy downpour saw conditions change. From a line out the Brods forwards reverted to their reliable catch and drive routine and marched the visitors some 20 yards to halfway. Captain Elliott Craven made a trademark scoot taking Brods into Crocs territory after 30 minutes played. The game was looking more even at this stage and the visitors were starting to make their own mistakes. A Brods penalty enabled Kelly put in an excellent kick to the corner within 10m of the Crocs’ line. From the line the Brods drive was unstoppable and young Levi Vining was on hand to score Brods’ first points in the top left-hand corner. An excellent conversion by Josh Kelly took the score to 7-15 after 32 minutes.
Shortly after the kick off and after a brief foray up field, a Crocs kick into the Brods half to put pressure on once more and forced yet another penalty from the home side after 35 minutes. Crocs again chose to kick for goal and put more distance between the scores. A fine strike brought the score to 7-18 with half time closing in.

The ensuing kick-off saw the Crocs return with a punt to the Brods 22. The Brods were now playing with more conviction, and conditions had changed with the Brods now playing more of a forwards’ game where they appeared to have a clear advantage. After Dunne had taken play into the Crocs’s half and a kick put Brods within 30m of the visitors’ line, the Brods once again gave away a soft penalty and it appeared the chance to score again before half-time was lost.

Fortuitously the visitors quickly incurred a penalty of their own giving possession back to the Brods on 40 minutes. Brods were in no mood to miss out this time and with fresh determination advanced on the Crocs’s line. A suspicious looking knock down of a Brods’ pass incurred another penalty to the Brods and Kelly duly found touch in the top right-hand corner. From the line out the well-rehearsed Brods catch and drive routine was again unstoppable and Craven touched down in the corner. The conversion missed and half-time whistle blew. 12-18 to the visitors.

At 12-18 the Brods were now very much back in the game and could consider themselves fortunate after a poor error strewn performance against far superior visitors on the day thus far.

The Brods resumed the second half kicking down the slope to the Beaver Park end. Crocs held possession well, but conditions had deteriorated, and the slippery ball led to a succession of mistakes. The visitors seemed to benefit from these more than the home side and quickly took up position in Brod’s territory. Despite Brods being in the ascendancy at this stage their performance was littered with mistakes and penalties. The Brods forwards had put in a good shift and were visibly wearing down their opposite numbers, but they were still making mistakes enabling the visitors to hold field position in Brods ’territory for a good 15 minutes of the second half. On 55 minutes the Brods conceded a penalty, one of many. some 35m out and directly in front of their posts. The gift of a kick to extend their lead was readily seized by the visitors and their reliable kicker was successful with a fine kick, taking the score to 12-21 with 25 minutes remaining.
Just as it seemed the pendulum had swung in Crocs favour with the Brods being unable to make progress, play was becoming scrappy and following such a period, on 60 minutes, the Crocs conceded a penalty themselves some 35 metres out, on 60 minutes. Josh Kelly stepped up and sweetly added the points with a pressure kick in difficult and wet conditions.

At 15-21 the Brods now believed that victory was within their grasp and pressed for a try. A Wroot break and Dunne kick forced the Crocs into touching down behind their own try line thus conceding a drop out from under their posts. This set up a period of Brods forward dominance for the remainder of the game. From the drop out the Brods drove forward forcing a scrum some 10m out. At this stage the Brods forward were also enjoying total dominance at the scrum, especially as the Crocs heavyweight prop, Greenwood, was off the field injured. The Brods scrum pushed for the line, enabling scrum half Vining to dive on the ball over the line to score. Kelly made no mistake with the conversion, which was another pressure kick under difficult wet conditions, and the home side had the lead in this contest for the first time after 65 minutes.

The visitors were kept boxed in their own half for the rest of the match and offered no opportunities for adding to their score tally. In fact, Brods had their own chances of extending their lead where on one occasion they had 5 consecutive scrums some 5 metres out where the Crocs were penalised for foul play and surprisingly no one was binned. Final score Brods 22- Crocs 21.

This was far from a vintage Brods performance and for much of the match they were second best, but to their credit they found a way to win. The expression on Neil Sheard’s face at the end of the game was far from a happy one yet the Brods’ wags in the stand were sarcastically suggesting it was ‘never in doubt’.
The young Brods side will learn from this game and hopefully will be more disciplined next week.

Gordon Feather 14 Sept 25