IT was a successful start to the defence of the den for Gerringong’s Ashton Sims, Culburra’s Jack Buchanan and their Toronto Wolfpack, who turned in a tough and at times clinical display to run out comfortable winners over fellow promotion contenders London Broncos.
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The victory was played out in front of a crowd of 7,384 as fans came out in force for the home opener.
Donning the Lamport Stadium field for the first time in 2018, the Wolfpack’s ability to start both halves at a greater tempo than their opponents was ultimately the difference between the two sides.
Toronto scored two quick tries to start both halves which really had London on the back foot and they backed that up with some sterling defence whilst under pressure to really limit the opportunities of the Broncos, who generally haven’t found scoring points difficult this season.
The Wolfpack forwards didn’t let the early injury to Ashton Sims phase them as they overpowered the Broncos in the middle third of the field, allowing the half backs to control the game well and create opportunities out wide that London struggled to cope with.
It was the Wolfpack’s 12th straight win in the Betfred Championship and importantly maintains their five point advantage at the top of the league with only seven games remaining before the Super 8s qualifiers.
Paul Rowley was happy with the result after the game but was adamant there was still plenty of improvement in his side despite the margin of victory in the home opener.
“I thought we were a little bit scrappy at times but it’s nice to get this game out of the way and get the win over some really good opposition,” Rowley said.
“We’re undefeated at the den and we want to keep it that way.
“We lost Ashton Sims early which was disappointing for him and both teams seemed a little bit tentative at times but it was two quality sides that contributed to a good contest.”
London boss Danny Ward was left frustrated by his sides display and highlighted their caginess with the ball as their biggest downfall.
“It’s been a fantastic event for us in Canada but unfortunately we were disappointed with our performance,” Ward said.
“We didn’t execute as well as we’d have liked and we didn’t play much football and seemed a bit basic at times.
“We need to play with a bit more confidence and throw the ball around a bit more.
“Credit to Toronto they defended really well and we couldn’t break them down.”
The Wolfpack next play against the Dewsbury Rams on Saturday, June 16 at Lamport Stadium.
