After a three-week break and a whole host of shenanigans regarding the play-offs, the Buffaloes were back in action against West Hull with the winners going straight through to the Grand Final and the losers having a second chance against Siddal on the 20th September.
The game started well for the Buffaloes, seeing them camped in the West Hull 20 metre area for the majority of the first half, with the forwards pounding the Wests defence time and time again.
In the 11th minute Daz Forster, surged through the defence for the opening score with him converting his own try to give the Buffaloes the lead 6-0.
In the 27th minute man of the match, Liam Copland, broke the defensive line and was away until he was cruelly tripped by a west hull defender, Liam kept his feet and kept sprinting away but the referee brought the play back for a penalty to the Buffs.
Three minutes later, Copland was in for his first of the afternoon, when Omar Al Rawi broke free and passed the ball to Copland who dived over for an unconverted try, making the score 10-0.
Wests were the next to score in the 34th minute when hooker, Tom Blakey, from the play of the ball, dummied to pass and dove through the resulting gap. Man of the match Lennox Green converted, reducing the lead to 10-6.
Ten minutes in to the second half, Copland was over again in the corner, the referee seemed to be having an internal debate with himself, as he took an age to give the try, Forster was again on target from the touchline, to extend the lead to 16-6.
In the 58th minute, Wests were in again when centre, Dan Cure, finished a flowing move off with a try, converted by Green, narrowing the lead to 16-12.
In the 65th minute, Al Rawi took the ball in his 20 metre zone and sprinted 80 metres for a try just to the right of the posts, Forster adding the extras to make the score 22-12.
Three minutes later, Al Rawi was in again, breaking through the defence 25 metres from the line and racing away, Forster again was on target, making the score 28-12.
In the 71st minute Forster was over for his second of the afternoon, after making an arcing run across field looking for a chink in the defence line which eventually came and he was over out on the right hand side of the pitch, he was unable to add the conversion, stretching the lead to 32-12.
In the 77th minute Second Rower Callum Parker crashed over the line for a try with Green again adding the extras making the score 32-18.
Deep into injury time, Copland was over for his hat trick, tearing through the tiring West Hull defence.
Game Breaker: Omar Al Rawi’s Brace of tries midway through the second half put the game beyond West Hull
Buffaloes: 1) Terry Brown, 2) Nathan Hammond, 3) Aaron Blake, 4) Alex Brier, 5) Liam Copland, 6) Omar Al Rawi, 7) Steve Suddards, 8) Dave Parker, 9) Craig Boot, 15) Jonny Bradley, 11) Sam Nicholls, 12) Daz Forster, 13) Robin Wilks, Subs; 14) Andy Bottomley, 18) Ryan Campbell, 16) Jerome Malcolm, 17) Andrew Hepworth
Tries: Forster (11, 71), Copland (30, 50, 80), Al Rawi (65, 68)
Goals: Forster 4 from 7
West Hull: 16) Lennox Green, 2) Dillon Price, 3) Callum King, 4) Dan Cure, 5) Andy Finch, 6) Lewis Straw, 7) Ben Arbon, 8) Ash Straw, 9) Tom Blakey, 10) Blaine Gootton, 11) Calvin Parker, 17) Callum Parker, 13) Jacob Moore, Subs; 18) Joe Staples, 14) Oscar Ellrtington, 15) Jack Watts, 17) Macauley Longley
Tries: Blakey (34), Cure (58), Parker (11)
Goals: Green 3 from 3
Men of the Match
Buffaloes – Liam Copland
West Hull – Lennox Green