The Good, The Bad and the Ugly of Super League Round 18
The Good
It’s a been a week of outbursts, power struggles and feuds at the top of Super League, as clubs grapple for control of the sport. Boardroom battles have taken centre stage as on-field action has taken a backseat. Or so it seemed, but thankfully Super League dished up some real humdingers in round 18.
Leeds against St Helens, with their bosses Gary Hetherington and Eamonn McManus at loggerheads, was a thrilling match that demonstrated all what was best about English rugby league. This game had it all – excitement, tension, big hits, strong defense, awesome attack – and an entertaining, close finish with Danny Richardson’s drop-goal. Richardson was left out of the England squad to face New Zealand in Denver, and sent a gentle reminder to Wayne Bennett of his vast qualities.
The Rhinos have struggled in recent weeks, but they arguably deserved a draw after a brave display. With no Kallum Watkins, goal-kicking proved to be a real problem on home turf. But Leeds showed enough over the 80 minutes to suggest they can be top four contenders come September, injuries or not. Don’t write the Rhinos off just yet.
It wasn’t just at Headingley where tense endings ruled the roost. At Huddersfield the Giants pipped Catalans by a point. It was young halfback Oliver Russell’s penalty goal with three minutes left that ensured victory. It capped off a remarkable comeback by Huddersfield, who were behind 18-0 early on. There was also a dramatic contest at the Jungle where Hull KR held Castleford 24-24. The Robins came from 14-0 down to draw the game and should take massive confidence from their fight-back.
The Bad
Catalans coach Steve McNamara had an epic spray after his team went down to the Giants. He said: “The decisions from the officials were wrong and directly affected the end of that game. I am not talking small decisions, I am talking huge, huge decisions. I am bemused how that game finished and the impact that game could have on the rest of the season for both of these teams.
"It is a negative impact on us. There was a 13-4 penalty count against us. Was that a 13-4 penalty game against ourselves to start with? We won that game ourselves, we managed to give it away, we won it again to get in front with a field goal then the decisions take over the last four or five minutes of the game. We didn’t help ourselves. At the start of the second half we made far too many errors in possession. But there should have only been one team walking out of this stadium with the two points and that should have been us.”
@J_mcGillvary showing what he's all about before Denver next week...
McNamara was understandably angry after his team’s loss. We want coaches to be as open and honest after matches, but on this occasion, he has gone too far in his criticism. Catalans made fewer breaks, fewer offloads and fewer carries than Huddersfield. They made more tackles than their opponents and made 10 errors. They might have been unlucky on some calls, undisputedly, but ultimately if they had kept hold of the ball better than they would have gone home with the two points.
The Ugly
Widnes just keep on sliding into the abyss. Their Thursday night clash against Salford was a chance to record a rare win against a similarly troubled team. But the Red Devils prevailed and the Vikings notched loss number 14, their tenth in a row in Super League. It was great for Salford, but disastrous for Widnes who are slipping rapidly towards a Championship return as the weeks roll on. The ‘new coach bounce’ following the appointment of Francis Cummins has not resulted in any positive upturn in performance. The Vikings need a miracle worker, not a new coach.
