Any neutrals at the game yesterday would have been very satisfied that they'd got their nine quid's worth. Seventy points, some great football from both sides and two very contasting styles of play.
Hornets made a welcome return to the free-flowing style that paid dividends last season whilst Dewsbury opted for a more direct approach - and both paid off.
Indeed it took only six minutes for the Rams to get the score underway - Briggs' crossfield kick, winger Craig Miles pinching the ball from Sean Coopers fingertips to score.
Hornets didn't hang around.

The next foray into Rams' territory saw Woody step across the back of a scrum, unzipping the defence and threading Paul Owen in to score. Woody converted, then strethced the lead further courtesy of two penalties generously given away by Brad Hepi. And it was Hepi who made the next score, jinking through a napping defence onthe last tackle to find Redfern with enough space to take a neat inside ball and score. Apart from that one moment, though, Hepi had a 24 carat stinker.

But Hornets stepped it up a gear. First Larder, Wood and Pachniuk combining in a sweeping move that saw Owen score. Then a perfectly executed run-around with Pachniuk in the passing/scoring role with Smith as the perfect fulcrum. Wood added the extras to both efforts and added a penalty right on the hooter for good measure as Rams' prop Watene took his seat in the sin-bin for raking the ball at the tackle. Half time 24-12 and Hornets in complete control.

Within five minutes of the re-start Hornets were in again - a huge break by Larder; a perfectly timed round-the-man pass to Smith who carried the ball fully 40 metres before drawing the fullback to send Pachniuk in by the posts. The crowd rose to applaud a truly excellent try.

But Dewsbury stuck to their 'head-down game plan. On the hour, a close range penalty saw Rams' prop Watene crash straight in through some decidedly dodgy defending. Dewsbury then dropped the resulting kick off and Tawhai used the posession to send Owen in for a well-taken hat-trick.

Within two minutes Hornets were in again - a step and a pass from Tawhai, Danny Wood gliding round the full back to score. At 40-18 it seemed all over - but then it all went a bit wobbly. In two consecutive visits to the Hornets line, Dewsbury sent in Frank Watene from two yards. It was Rugby league at its most basic - and its most brutally effective. A hat trick in just nine minutes - and each try identical to the others.

From a seemingly unassailable position, Hornets found themselves hanging on for the last nine minutes. Dewsbury had good chances - Owen dropping Elston one-on-one, Elston dropping a certain scoring pass - but Hally's men had done enough.

There's no denying that Hornets attack looked crisp and lethal - Danny Wood on form is as good a six as there is in the NFP - but that defence...

Several times on key plays - last tackles, tap penalties - the defence went to sleep. Watene hadn't had a sniff of a try for over an hour, but ended up looking like Shane Webke, so bad was the tackling close in.

We pointed out here last week that it's the defence that will cost Hornets games and it very nearly did. All the hard work put in on attack could quite easily have been squandered and all those great tries would have counted for nothing. And though we sit back in third, a points difference 230 worse than Leigh is as good as a point in the league.

But it'd be churlish to grumble too much. Hornets welcomed supporters back to Spotland with some scintillating stuff and took the two points. A concentration on defence will see this team fulfill its huge potential. We've had a taster, now we want the main course.