Cougars 36, Eagles 2; Keith Reeves reports from Cougar Park.
Keighley Cougars thoroughly atoned for their second half collapse against Leigh with one of their best performances of the season against a big Sheffield side.
The score didn't do the South York-shire side justice, however. They competed until the final 15 minutes when the Cougars ran in four tries to make absolutely certain of the points.
Before the game Cougars coach Karl Harrison said this was a 'must win game', and afterwards was delighted his team had pulled it off, saying: "Defensively we were very sound, and on attack we persevered.
"Perhaps the final score flattered us a bit - this was Sheffield's biggest defeat of the season - but we had pace everywhere, and it told.
"Sheffield tried to slow the ball down, but they couldn't sustain it and our superior fitness and pace told in the end. Dean Hanger did very well to score when injured - it was a great try off a great pass from Martin Wood, who has the quality to ruin teams in this division."
Wood was central to every Keigh-ley attack. He set the ball rolling in the second minute with a superb chip and chase that he collected himself to touch down next to the posts. He then converted his own try, and put in a huge defensive stint as well.
Sheffield then gradually got on top, but the Cougars held firm and only allowed the Eagles a solitary penalty goal from Richard Goddard.
Wood also landed a penalty to make it 8-2, and it looked like being that score at half-time, but in the dying seconds Paul Owen scored the first of his hat-trick of tries in the corner to make it 12-2 at the break.
Owen started where he had left off with another jinking run to the line in the 43rd minute, and the Cougars' pace was gradually taking effect.
Danny Seal looked impressive at hooker. He too could have had a hat-trick, but had to settle for just the one when he collected Wood's kick to the line.
With just seven minutes left a lovely inside pass from Wood sent Hanger on a arched run to the corner.
Straight from the kick-off, the Cougars scored again. Ian Hughes sent Hanger on a run to the halfway line, and he then sent Jason Lee 50 metres down-field as the Cougars ran riot.
The icing on the cake was Owen's hat-trick try in injury time. He was released on halfway by the impressive Nathan Antonik.
Owen then ran diagonally to the corner, looked to be tackled twice but both times squirmed out of them to squeeze over in the corner and complete the scoring.
Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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