Dewsbury Rams 17 Whitehaven 8 - Head coach Lee Greenwood pleased as Rams enjoy winning start

DROP-GOAL: Half-back Liam Finn slotted over a one pointer with six minutes remaining as Dewsbury Rams defeated Whitehaven in their opening game of the 2021 Championship campaign. Picture: Paul Butterfield.

The Rams bounced back from a disappointing Challenge Cup defeat against the same opposition to get their league season off to a winning start.

It was the visitors who opened the scoring when Lachlan Walmsley crossed the whitewash in the left corner.

In a scrappy first half, Dewsbury took the lead when hooker Sam Day nipped over from close range. Paul Sykes was on target with the conversion.

Two tries from Matt Fleming in the second half proved decisive as he scored in the 49th and 53rd minute.

“It was very tough. We did enough just to shade it and deserve it,” reflected Greenwood.

“In these early games it is just about putting points on the board and certainly, Whitehaven at home is one we need to be winning and we did.”

With the game in the balance, and the Rams leading by 12 points in the latter stages, Liam Finn added a drop-goal with six minutes to play to take the game away from Whitehaven.

The visitors added one more try through Jason Mossop but Dewsbury held out to enjoy a winning start.

Greenwood added: “The smarter guys, the game goes in slow motion for them. They know what the scoreboard is saying, they know how long is left and the feeling of the game.

“Liam knew we were 12 points up and that if he puts that over, it is highly unlikely that Whitehaven would score three times and that is what happened.”

Jason Walton made his return to a rugby league field after overcoming injury problems that had sidelined him for two and half years.

The former Featherstone Rovers player had suffered two ACL injuries but Greenwood said of his performance: “He has been training well. I had no doubts he could do it, obviously he has been out for so long, he might have had a few doubts in his head.

“He just played how he has trained and you couldn’t tell he had been out for two and a half years.

"He just looked like he had been playing regularly. He came on and lifted the team, along with a couple of other guys who came off the bench.”