The Super League semi-finals provided us with two games of contrasting performances and quality.
On Thursday night the Wigan Warriors qualified for their third successive grand final under Shaun Wane and really didn’t have to break sweat against a Huddersfield Giants side that, once again, totally bottled it on the big occasion.
I said to my eldest son before kick-off that I hoped the Giants would finally do themselves justice in the play-offs and make their first grand final. The last thing I wanted to see was smug Wiganers celebrating another grand final appearance.
Unfortunately, within the first 20 minutes I knew there was no chance of the Giants winning the game. They simply lacked the belief in their undoubted ability and did not play anywhere near the standard they had the previous week against Leeds Rhinos.
I don’t believe this rubbish that Ryan Hall’s last second try had knocked all of the fight out of the Giants. They went toe to toe with the best British club side of the last 10 years and should have beaten them. This week they simply did not have the cahounas to push on and win at a ground that they are regular victors at.
I feel for the Giants coach Paul Anderson. That performance was purely down to his players and he must be racking his brains to work out how he can get his team to perform when it really matters.
The standard of the Giants’ performance was so poor that the Warriors simply cantered to a 32-8 win. Along with a poor crowd of just over 10,000, it was a lacklustre start to what promised to be a fantastic weekend of rugby league.
Thank God for Headingley on a Friday night under the floodlights.
There is no finer sight in British rugby league than a heaving and pulsating Headingley Stadium with the floodlights on and a big game to be played at this magnificent rugby league ground.
The Rhinos and St. Helens served up a truly magnificent game that could have been won by either side in the last few minutes in front of over 17,000 passionate and excited fans.
Saints can really count themselves unlucky not to have won this game.
They played some great rugby league and were led superbly by Jon Wilkin. I am still not sure that the try that edged Leeds in front by Ryan Hall was actually a try.
However, it seemed that nothing was going to keep Leeds legends Jamie Peacock and Kevin Sinfield from making their final swansong in the grand final next week and that’s how it should be.
They have been great servants of both the Rhinos and the game of rugby league and that Sinfield 40/20 at a vital moment of the second half proved crucial and shows that whoever replaces him has massive boots to fill.
Saints coach Kieron Cunningham was magnanimous in defeat and spoke wonderfully at the final whistle. Maybe Bradford Bulls coach James Lowes can take some lessons from him.
Clubs have known for a year that the final Super League spot for 2016 would come down to a direct one off match, the Million Pound Game, between the teams that finished fourth and fifth after the completion of the middle 8s qualifying games.
At a minimum teams like Wakefield, Bradford and Leigh would have wanted to take part in this game.
Obviously they would have preferred to finish in the top three of the middle 8s and qualify for next year’s Super League automatically, but it was always likely that two of the aforementioned three teams would play for the final place.
With that in mind I cannot agree with James Lowes’ outburst immediately after the game live on Sky Sports.
He said that this type of match should not be allowed and that the pressure was too great for the players and the game was playing with their livelihoods and that losing this game may mean players losing their jobs or going part-time.
All due respect to Lowes but I think both clubs knew exactly what they were getting themselves into.
This was not just an overnight introduction, they knew this was a possibility a year ago and I am sure the clubs would have had a Plan A (Super League) and Plan B (Championship) drawn up – ‘Plan for the Worst, Hope for the Best’.
If the Bulls have planned with the above ethos in mind then they should not be in a position where they have to start slashing jobs on Monday morning.
I would put money on the Bulls remaining full time next year.
Lowes also kicked off about two ‘controversial’ refereeing decisions – both of which I think Richard Silverwood and his team got right – and as much as he looks for excuses elsewhere he may want to look closer to home.
The game itself was tense and exciting and of a decent quality in front of a season high crowd of over 7,000 at Belle Vue. Young forward Chris Annakin had an outstanding game for the Wildcats, as did Jacob Miller.
Adrian Purtell once again stood out for the Bulls. What about that pass behind his back for Danny Williams’ try?
Huge credit has to go to coach Brian Smith, chairman Michael Carter and the Wildcats players for keeping things together after a tough couple of weeks which saw them lose, arguably, their two best players Kevin Locke and Tim Smith after a sojourn to Hull in a club car went horribly wrong.
The weekend got even better on Sunday as the North Queensland Cowboys and Brisbane Broncos fought out the first all-Queensland grand final in the heart of Sydney.
The game had everything: great tries, great defence, a wonderful one handed pass to set up an equalising try on the siren, a winning conversion attempt that hit the post and a golden point drop goal to give North Queensland their first ever Premiership.
It also had an all-round wonderful performance from Johnathan Thurston that will live long in the memory. Never before has one player been so instrumental in dragging his team to a premiership.
Put simply, without JT the Cowboys would be nowhere near a grand final. They have some quality players, but he is the glue that sticks everything together.
A wonderful attacking first half saw four tries scored, two from each side, and Brisbane led their junior neighbours 14-12.
The second half was full of some desperate and outstanding defence and despite the best efforts of the Cowboys – Kane Linnett lost the ball with the try line at his mercy and Lachlan Coote had a try ruled out for a double movement – the half remained tryless until the very last second of the game.
Ben Hunt gave away a needless penalty for a dangerous tackle on Linnett and the Cowboys, trailing 16-12 after Corey Parker kicked an earlier penalty for the only score of the second half, launched one final do-or-die attack.
Thurston was involved, as he was with everything the Cowboys did, but it was his halves partner Michael Morgan who provided the moment of magic.
He took Thurston’s speculative pass and ran to his right on an arc that drew in three panicing Broncos defenders. Morgan remained calm, got his right arm free and slipped out a wonderful one-handed pass to wingman Kyle Feldt.
Feldt was cool enough to plant the ball down one handed just as the clock hit 80 minutes bang on. It was theatre and drama of the highest order and there was still an encore to come.
Thurston is one of the world’s top goal kickers and his low swinging attempt with his right foot from the touchline looked like it was going to make it but it hit the upright instead and bounced out. Thurston bellowed out his frustration and golden point extra time beckoned with the scores tied at 16-16.
You have to feel for Broncos halfback Ben Hunt, not only did he give away the penalty that gave the Cowboys the position to launch their final attack of the match, but he also knocked on from the kick off.
From the resulting set Thurston got his hands on the ball 25 yards out and clipped over the winning golden point drop goal to give the Cowboys their first ever premiership win. Cue hysteria for the Cowboys and heartache for the Broncos.
Thurston was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal as man of the match to add to his fourth Dally M Medal that he won earlier in the week. I think there can be no doubt about who is the greatest rugby league player on the planet at the moment.
The NRL grand final rounded off a superb weekend of rugby league which showed that our game isn’t great all of the time, but when it is at its best there is no other spectacle like it.
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