Yorkshire claimed an emphatic eight-try victory over Lancashire in the first of this season’s two Academy Origin fixtures, with a trio of familiar surnames to the fore.
Chris Matagi and Joe Diskin, respective sons of the current Doncaster forward Suaia and the former Leeds Rhinos hooker Matt, each scored a try in the first half.
They were joined by Marcus Qareqare, the younger brother of the Castleford Tigers flier Jason, as Yorkshire built a commanding 26-4 lead at the interval after attacking the Wheldon Road end of The Jungle, Castleford.
Qareqare formed a dangerous right-wing pairing with his Leeds Rhinos team-mate Harley Thomas, who ended with 18 points from two tries and five goals.
Lancashire scored a neat try in each half, from the Warrington Wolves full-back Flynn Holden and the St Helens hooker Thomas Humphries, but they were comprehensively beaten.
The physicality of Yorkshire’s defence underpinned their dominance from the start, forcing an error which led to Thomas’s opening try.
Qareqare then darted over on the ground where his elder brother has scored some spectacular tries for Cas in recent seasons.
But Yorkshire then lost the Huddersfield Giants second-row Archie Sykes to the sin bin for a high tackle, and Lancashire hinted at a fightback when Holden stepped over from a delayed pass from Ewan Irwin, the 17-year-old who made a high profile Super League debut for Warrington in their recent win against St Helens.
It was another youngster who has already made his mark at senior level, the Hull FC full-back Lloyd Kemp, who put Yorkshire back on track by dummying over, and that was followed by two more close range scores from Matagi and Diskin – the latter from acting half, as his dad did on so many occasions for Leeds, Bradford and occasionally Yorkshire.
Lancashire needed to start the second half strongly but were instead undone by a scrum play that led to Thomas’s second, before George Brown, the stand-off who was another of the eight Leeds players in Yorkshire’s starting 13, dummied over for their seventh try.
Humphries at least interrupted the flow by showing impressive pace from 30 metres, with Irwin converting. But Yorkshire had the last word when Zac Lloyd ran powerfully on to a short pass.
The 2025 Academy Origin series will conclude in August at Sewell Group Craven Park. Lancashire have much to ponder before then.
Yorkshire: Tries - Thomas 2, Qareqare, L Kemp, Matagi, Diskin, Brown, Lloyd; Goals – Thomas 5.
Lancashire: Tries – Holden, Humphries; Goal – Irwin.
Full time: Yorkshire 42 Lancashire 10 at The Jungle, Castleford
