The Lions excellent run continued with a hard fought victory over a well drllled Thunder side to keep them in the playoff positions and maybe put Thunder out of the equation.
Shaun Robinson put the Lions ahead in the fourth minute after some good build up play by Jordan James and Ben White but Ian Mort could not convert from the touchline. Eight minutes later they were in again when White put a short kick through under the Thunder posts and as their full back Louis Sheriff went for the ball it spilled from his hands and Chris Atkin pounced to score under the posts with Mort this time adding the conversion.
Thunder thought they were on the scoreboard on twenty-four minutes when Josh Stoker appeared to score under the posts but he we brought back for a forward pass. The Lions third try came in bizarre circumstances a couple of minutes later when Thunder winger Macauley Hallett broke free down the right wing and as Chris Rothwell came in to tackle him he offloaded to centre Ali Blair who took it a few metres further forward but was being approached by Richie Hawkyard so he too decided to offload to what he thought was his supporting full back Sheriff but the pass sailed over his head and landed in the hands of Andy Thornley who sent Andy Ackers on a run up the left with the supporting Atkin and the ball moved through at least eight sets of hands and it all ended with Stuart Littler scoring in the right corner and Mort made no mistake with the conversion to stretch the lead.
Thunder got on the scoreboard eight minutes from the break when Fran Welsh scored by the posts following a couple of penalties that created the position and Dayne Craig added the simple conversion from in front.
Thunder scored again six minutes after the break after a cheap penalty got them good ground and Blair scored on the right but Craig could not convert. The Lions increased their lead on fifty-eight minutes when Mort landed a short range penalty goal for a high tackle on Atkin. Referee Gareth Hewer was losing patience with Thunder who seemed to be giving away constant penalties just after the break so he put them on a team warning.
Atkin added his second try just after the hour when Rob Lever broke two tackles to run clear and offload to the supporting scrum half who scored under the posts and Mort again made no mistake with the kick.
The home side would not go away and seven minutes later Hallett scored an unconverted try in the right corner but Ackers seemed to make the game safe for the Lions when he scored a typical try from acting half back with nine minutes left but Mort again missed the conversion. Sheriff scored a consolation try for Thunder with four minutes left but the conversion from Craig hit the posts and missed.
Mort added a penalty goal with two minutes left after the Thunder defence back chatted the official and in the dying seconds Atkin tried a drop goal but it dropped wide as the hooter sounded.
