The Good
Jacob Trueman – remember the name because you’re going to be hearing it a lot more in the years to come. Trueman made his Super League debut on Sunday for Castleford when they took on Wigan. With Luke Gale out injured the 18-year old had big shoes to fill. To say he filled then is an understatement, the halfback scored a hat-trick on debut. He also had a try assist and busted four tackles. The Tigers trounced the Warriors 38-20 in style, even without Gale and halves partner Ben Roberts. Some expect the wheels to fall off the Cas train without Gale there to steer them around. But Trueman, another Bradford product, did an excellent job at the DW Stadium.
A 17-minute hat-trick for teenager @JT6Trueman on his first @CTRLFC Super League start! 🐯
Another fine display this round came from centre Peta Hiku. The Kiwi destroyed Featherstone, claiming three tries and two assists in an awesome afternoon as Warrington routed the Rovers 68-0. The Wire are going to miss him next season when he heads back to the NRL. Hiku was helped by centre partner Harvey Livett, the youngster grabbing a brace and 10 of 12 conversions. Livett finished with a personal haul of 28 points, not bad in 80 minutes.
Three more for the @WolvesRL centre at Fev yesterday 🐺
A note on Hull FC’s grit on Thursday night. The Black and Whites played out an enthralling match against Wakefield, eventually edging their fellow Yorkshire outfit by just one point. Hull had to come from behind to win the game and it was through sheer desire and effort to keep their season alive. That was epitomised by Mark Minichiello’s effort to charge down Liam Finn’s late drop goal attempt. The loss was tough on Trinity who have had little luck in the past fortnight. Now they need a miracle to make the top four.
The Bad
Just how bad are the Catalans? Hull KR left out six of their key players, including Jamie Ellis, Shaun Lunt, Andrew Heffernan and Adam Quinlan, for the visit of the Dragons on Friday. The Robins had been partying hard after their promotion was confirmed the week before. They had nothing to play for, except pride, while Catalans knew they had to win if they were any chance of avoiding the Million Pound Game. Despite this Hull KR shot out to an unlikely 19-8 lead late in the second half. They almost managed to pull off a shocking upset, until two tries in the final stages and some dead-eyed kicking from Luke Walsh saved the French club’s bacon. The Dragons rode their luck all game and continued to make dumb plays. Repeating that kind of display they gave on Friday night will see them relegated.
The Ugly
Featherstone’s performance against Warrington on Sunday was horrible from start to finish. They were behind 16-0 after nine minutes and it only got worse. The Wolves didn’t really need to push the envelope much to score try after try. It was the kind of game that really emphasised the big gab between most of Super League and the Championship. Unless the Championship sides are full-time and well-funded, like Hull KR who were a Super League club less than a year ago, they really have no chance against well-prepared Super League clubs sadly.
