Playing the second-half with 12 men, and having to contend with injuries, proved too much for Barrow Raiders in their Championship clash at Halifax as they went down 48-20.
They had led 16-12 but on the hooter Jarrod Sammut was shown a yellow card which changed to red as the players were leaving the field, presumably for something he had said.
Barrow had actually led 16-0 inside the first quarter, producing some superb rugby, to which the hosts had no real answer.
But the Panthers did score twice before the break and in the second-half took charge against the handicapped Barrow side who had earlier lost Ellis Gillam through injury.
Halifax scored 32 second-half points to run out comfortable winners with Barrow only able to respond with a single try seven minutes from time.
The opening 16 minutes could not have gone better for Barrow as they scored three unanswered tries, two of them converted by Ryan Shaw.
The opening score had come on two minutes when Gillam barged over and after some exhilarating stuff, throwing the ball around at will, Shaw went over for the second in the tenth minute.
Then on 14 minutes a looping pass found Andrew Bulman out wide and he spun in the tackle when seemingly trapped to get the ball down for the third try which went unconverted.
From that point Halifax seemed to wake-up and on 25 minute former Whitehaven winger Lachlan Walmsley shot between two defenders to score, with another former LEL Arena favourite Louis Jouffret landing the conversion.
The second try came on 34 minutes when Adam O’Brien powered his way over the Barrow line and Jouffret converted.
Then right on half-time came the crucial sending-off for Sammut which effectively changed the game.
Within two minute of the re-start Halifax were level as Walmsley dived over in the corner – a psychological blow to the 12 men of Barrow.
Four minutes later the home side went ahead for the first time when Ben Kavanagh got over and the same player scored the next on 56 minutes when he dived over in the corner after some slick Halifax handling. Jouffret converted for a 26-16 lead.
On 62 minutes, with the rain heaving down and Barrow tiring, Dan Fleming went over for Halifax and Jouffret converted,
Four minutes Walmsley completed his hat-trick and on 69 minutes James Woodburn-Hall charged through a static Barrow defence to add another try. Jouffret converted.
Barrow’s only points of the second half came from Ryan Johnston when he made an interception and went 60 metres for the try.
It was also an interception which provided Walmsley with his fourth try, and the last of the game on 78 minutes as he raced 80 metres to finish the job with Jouffret converting.
