Good and bad things about the 2010 Challenge Cup Final

[Wendall]

Good

Wire's performance - Best of any team I have seen in SL in 2010, even tops Wigan on Good Friday.

Atmosphere - A lot beter than in 2009, this really felt like a major sports event with two big teams.

Steve Prescott - Thought it was a bit of a low key appointment but you could tell to him and the players the mutual respect was great. A masterstroke from RFL HQ.

BBC Presentation - Good saw it on playback just and was a vast improvement on last few years and in HD was even better.

Bad

The match as a contest - As a Wire fan I wanted us to win but the game, but not so easy!

The kit clash - I warned the RFL this was a mistake and was hard to tell the yellow of leeds from the p&b of Wire!

Leeds fans - The lot we met were sound and yet the vast majority left 15 mins before the end! Worse than Wiganer's!!!!

Club Wembley - The Red Ring was an embarrasement again, needs sorting for future RL finals.

Food and Drink at Wembley - Rip off, 4.30 a pint and they ran out just at half time!!!

What was your good and bad things about the 2010 Challenge Cup Final?

[Bitofaboogie]

Good things - Leeds lost.

Bad things - Warrington won.

There you have it in a nutshell.

[3owls]

The good thing was we made the final, the bad thing was i unfortunately went to watch it . To be honest i enjoyed everything about the day apart from the match. I thought the atmosphere inside and outside the ground was brilliant and didn't bother with overpriced pubs and instead filled up at the numerous offies near the ground with cold tinnies. The stadium itself is spot on and tickets were reasonably priced compared to a football final i've been to there. No complaints from me apart from the 80 minutes where our team disappeared.

[hindle xiii]

Good things - Leeds lost.

Bad things - Warrington won.

There you have it in a nutshell.

Yep!

[Wendall]

Good things - Leeds lost.

Bad things - Warrington won.

There you have it in a nutshell.

You can tell Wire have arrived as a big club because rival fans actually want us to lose. Years ago that would not be the case.

Aside from the result what else did you like/dislike about Wembley?

[Manx RL]

The kit clash - I warned the RFL this was a mistake and was hard to tell the yellow of leeds from the p&b of Wire!

Was that by phone, fax, email or at your weekly one2one with Dicky Lewis?

[Jill Halfpenny fan]

You can tell Wire have arrived as a big club because rival fans actually want us to lose. Years ago that would not be the case.

I disagree.

I've always been happy for you to lose.

[Trojan]

I disagree.

I've always been happy for you to lose.

I've disliked Wire ever since Murphy screwed us in 1974. TBH I was delighted when they lost to Widnes the folllowing year. I loved it when Lydon dropped the long distance goal at Maine Road too. There's no doubt they were the best side yesterday, but I thought the Giants were robbed last season.

[goldcard]

I've disliked Wire ever since Murphy screwed us in 1974. TBH I was delighted when they lost to Widnes the folllowing year. I loved it when Lydon dropped the long distance goal at Maine Road too. There's no doubt they were the best side yesterday, but I thought the Giants were robbed last season.

Damn that Jack, his beans, at that feckin big plant he grew....

BTW, 74, Murphy did pull a trick or 2, I've watched a tape since I grew up (honest, I have...) and we certainly played the ref as well as Fev.

1 try a side v Widnes, discipline cost us, and THAT dg was a real gut kicker.

But been discussed loads of times before, however, if you want a definition of "gamebreaking moment", that's the clincher.

[Maximus Decimus]

I think it will be remembered as a poor final. Taking nothing away from Wire who were excellent (as much as it pains me to say), Leeds were dreadful and should have lost by more. It meant the game was effectively over as a contest and it always required a massive turn around from Leeds.

It's a shame because it started well with high intensity and the crowd came across really well on TV.

The kit clash was just plain silly. I was following Twitter throughout and most people were commenting on the same team playing each other. The RFL needs some common sense and Leeds need to recognise what an away kit is supposed to do.

[Joe Shep]

Leeds need to recognise what an away kit is supposed to do.

To be fair, Leeds' away kit is massively different from their home kit. It just happened that Warrington's home kit this season clashes with both.

[dallymessenger]

poor game

leeds were useless and wire were just better than average

shame for such a large crowd in a great stadium to get such a poor quality game of RL.

[Maximus Decimus]

To be fair, Leeds' away kit is massively different from their home kit. It just happened that Warrington's home kit this season clashes with both.

That makes no sense whatsoever. If 2 kits are so different how can they both clash with one kit?

There's an easy way to stop them clashing. Have them as different colours like most clubs would have.

[Joe Shep]

That makes no sense whatsoever. If 2 kits are so different how can they both clash with one kit?

Quite easily - Warrington have alot of blue and yellow on their home shirt. Leeds have a predominantly blue home shirt, and a predominantly yellow away shirt, so they both clash with Warrington's home shirt. But to say that Leeds' home and away kits clash with each other would be ludicrous.

There's an easy way to stop them clashing. Have them as different colours like most clubs would have.

Say for example Leeds decide to have a predominantly red away kit one year, but then for that season Wakefield's home kit is red and blue. Leeds' blue home kit and red away kit would both clash with Wakefield's home shirt. Sometimes it just happens that way. The sensible thing would've been to have Warrington wear red and green or force Leeds to use a different colour for the final. But you can hardly blame Leeds when they were designing their kits at the start of the year for not accounting for what Warrington may or may not wear.

[widnesvikings]

Warrington didn't let Leeds play, and thoroughly deserved the win, they are a very good team and could be a big match team for a good few years, although they are my teams biggest rivals, I can honestly say they have waited a long time for this era and good luck to them. and Wendell if you read this well done mate you stuck with them since childhood. you watched my team destroy everyone for years. its great to have a successful team and you deserve all the success coming to your fans. i know tons of long term wire fans and though i love the banter with them, you cant deny them the 2 challenge cup wins thoroughly deserved and enjoy it wire fans. Widnes til i die .maybe we might get the chance in a few years to kick your teams ***** one again

Edited August 30, 2010 by widnesvikings

[thirteenthman]

To be fair, Leeds' away kit is massively different from their home kit. It just happened that Warrington's home kit this season clashes with both.

Warrington's home kit is primrose and blue - the away kit is green and red.

Leeds' home kit is blue and amber - the away kit is amber and blue. Yeah, that's massively different isn't it!!!

[1976PMJwires]

Warrington didn't let Leeds play, and thoroughly deserved the win, they are a very good team and could be a big match team for a good few years, although they are my teams biggest rivals, I can honestly say they have waited a long time for this era and good luck to them. and Wendell if you read this well done mate you stuck with them since childhood. you watched my team destroy everyone for years. its great to have a successful team and you deserve all the success coming to your fans. i know tons of long term wire fans and though i love the banter with them, you cant deny them the 2 challenge cup wins thoroughly deserved and enjoy it wire fans. Widnes til i die .maybe we might get the chance in a few years to kick your teams ***** one again

Nice post and thanks.

Wendall goes OTT, but he is harmless.

Thanks again, a very proud and happy wire.

[Maximus Decimus]

Quite easily - Warrington have alot of blue and yellow on their home shirt. Leeds have a predominantly blue home shirt, and a predominantly yellow away shirt, so they both clash with Warrington's home shirt. But to say that Leeds' home and away kits clash with each other would be ludicrous.

Say for example Leeds decide to have a predominantly red away kit one year, but then for that season Wakefield's home kit is red and blue. Leeds' blue home kit and red away kit would both clash with Wakefield's home shirt. Sometimes it just happens that way. The sensible thing would've been to have Warrington wear red and green or force Leeds to use a different colour for the final. But you can hardly blame Leeds when they were designing their kits at the start of the year for not accounting for what Warrington may or may not wear.

I think we all agree that Warrington should have wore their away kits. However Leeds didn't help matters. Their home and away kits are the same colours but in different amounts. When they play a side that has the same colours it is going to produce a clash no matter what.

The Wakefield example isn't perfectly analogous because their kit is predominantly white with both of those colours and Leeds would at least have some different colours in their kit. Most clubs seem to manage having away kits that include some different colours at least. Leeds go from a kit that is 75/25 blue to amber to one that is 85/15 amber to blue.

The worst thing is if all clubs in Super League wore their home shirts unless there was a clash then Leeds would only need to swap their kit for the away leg at Warrington. So in effect their away shirt totally fails at the job it was originally designed for.

[Joe Shep]

Warrington's home kit is primrose and blue - the away kit is green and red.

Leeds' home kit is blue and amber - the away kit is amber and blue. Yeah, that's massively different isn't it!!!

Mate, if you don't think that these shirts look massively different then you need your eyes testing! Are you seriously implying you could confuse the two?

[Hornetto]

Warrington's home kit is primrose and blue - the away kit is green and red.

Leeds' home kit is blue and amber - the away kit is amber and blue. Yeah, that's massively different isn't it!!!

Judging by Leeds' performance, it should've been a blue shirt with a yellow stripe right down the back. Didn't compete at all and all Ryan Bailey had was an armoury of cheap shots - right to the final tackle of the game.

[1976PMJwires]

Bad things to say.

1.) Fans fighting, don't care who or what started it, just NOT in our game (please FFS)

2.) Ryan Bailey......................a disgrace, end of the matter.

Good.

Wembley Weekend, love it, met some really fantastic people, brillant weekend, here's to next year.

[hindle xiii]

Two good points, but which looked originally to be bad points, which turned out to be strange points;

i) Danny McGuire getting an accidental knee knocking him out for a little bit, only for him to get up and carry on a few minutes later.

ii) Chris Clarkson to have a look of immense pain on his face as he was bent backwards over his knee, possible season ending injury, only for him to get up and carry on a few minutes later.

Those weren't sarcastic observations either. It's uncommon to see players react so horrifically only for them to be (thankfully) ok, or as ok one can be after something like that.

Well done chaps.

[1976PMJwires]

Two good points, but which looked originally to be bad points, which turned out to be strange points;

i) Danny McGuire getting an accidental knee knocking him out for a little bit, only for him to get up and carry on a few minutes later.

ii) Chris Clarkson to have a look of immense pain on his face as he was bent backwards over his knee, possible season ending injury, only for him to get up and carry on a few minutes later.

Those weren't sarcastic observations either. It's uncommon to see players react so horrifically only for them to be (thankfully) ok, or as ok one can be after something like that.

Well done chaps.

They'll be in Emmerdale next month

Edited August 30, 2010 by 1976PMJwires

[Jerry the Berry]

Good bits:

1st time at new Wembley and loved it. Had great seats and was really impressed with the stadium.

Bad bits:

The one-sided match

Club Wembley empty seats

The kit clash

The numpties fighting in the ground at the 70 min mark. From my seats it was significant enough to distract from the game for a good 5 mins which was a bit embarrassing personally as was the first spectated game of RL for one member of my party, and for the two others it was the first big event they've seen live.

[goldcard]

poor game

leeds were useless and wire were just better than average

shame for such a large crowd in a great stadium to get such a poor quality game of RL.

I take it you didn't watch.

24 tackles early doors in the Wire 20, we shut them out, that won it, defence.

Then we had to break them down, step forward Lee Briers, behind a pack gaining dominance.

Leeds also had spells in the second half, but by then the try they did score was consolation.

We'd have preferred nil, but that's a big ask.

Mclennan claims his side didn't freeze, Wires just out defended and dominated much of the game.(I think that was the Express where I read that) Other than Sinfield going walkabout, Leeds did what we let them, but it was no-where like the blow-outs at Huddersfield or in the semi v Catalans, where "game over" signs were up before half time.

If Peacock had played, then the forward battle might have been a bit tastier, but it was still a a good game, which if not really in doubt, had an element of it when Smith scored.

I'm sorry we didn't choke, which you love us doing, took great delight in it.

We're winners now, get used to it....