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Good Friday derbies


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Almost forgot it was Easter this weekend amid the crisis.

Sky are showing the 2003 Good Friday Derby in full at 1pm among six hours of derby viewing from 12pm on Arena https://www.skysports.com/watch/tv-guide/10-04-2020

On Saturday, a rerun of the Rob Burrow game amid six hours of Leeds Rhinos highlights, also on Arena from noon https://www.skysports.com/watch/tv-guide/11-04-2020

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This thread prompted me to look through Robert Gate's biography of Billy Boston.  I wanted to know whether there were other Easter local derbies for Wigan.  In short, there were, though - throughout Boston's cherry-and-white career - as far as I can see none were absolutely nailed on to take place like the matches on Good Friday against the Saints.

The most common Easter triple was Saints on Good Friday, Warrington on the Saturday and Salford on the Monday.  That said, other Lancashire sides sometimes got to play Wigan over that weekend, but, in Boston's time, virtually never a Yorkshire one.

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Supporting Leeds, Good Fridays have been a bit of a strange one really. Whilst the likes of Saints and Wigan, Hull and KR, Cas and Wakey have established rivalries, I don't feel, especially due to the demise of Bradford over the past 10/15 years, that we have that big rival derby game in SL for good Friday. Perhaps Salford, Warrington and Huddersfield are in the same boat. 

Its great to watch the other games though and its a fantastic advertisement for the sport!

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5 minutes ago, The 4 of Us said:

Really don’t miss the Hemmings/Stevos commentary. Rather than focus on what was good they would seek to make controversy out of that which didn’t exist. 

I like Hemmings, but agree that Stevo's default setting was to be controversial and focusing on the negatives (errors, refereeing decisions etc) instead of the positives. Cracking game though.

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58 minutes ago, The 4 of Us said:

Really don’t miss the Hemmings/Stevos commentary. Rather than focus on what was good they would seek to make controversy out of that which didn’t exist. 

Been watching the 2004 Saints v Wigan game and all Stevo’s done is mention how many penalties should be given for high shots.

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2 hours ago, bobbruce said:

Great Saints try by Hooper don’t remember him being that quick. 

He was underrated, I feel. He played in some great Saints sides alongside some of the big names like Long, Sculthorpe, Cunningham etc but never really got the credit he deserved. I’d forgotten about the try you mentioned too but remember his pace closing Radlinski down at Cardiff in the 2004 Cup Final. 

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30 minutes ago, Hela Wigmen said:

He was underrated, I feel. He played in some great Saints sides alongside some of the big names like Long, Sculthorpe, Cunningham etc but never really got the credit he deserved. I’d forgotten about the try you mentioned too but remember his pace closing Radlinski down at Cardiff in the 2004 Cup Final. 

The one thing with Hooper he’s the type of player you’d love playing with. He did all the horrible jobs no one really likes doing. Like always being first to put pressure on the opposition kicker or being the first player to chase your own kick. 

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Watched the Sts v Wigan game this evening. Noticeable is the lack of "professionalism" from the players, they seemed to be more interested in just playing rugby rather than the endless pigeon flapping and penalty milking we get now. Referee was awful, would get demoted these days. The commentary reminded me why I don't miss Eddie and Stevo at all. As for the match, a great game played at a fast pace throughout.

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On 07/04/2020 at 22:39, Gooleboy said:

Castleford and Featherstone had some great Easter Derby games, usually Good Friday or Easter Monday at Castleford with Featherstone's home game on Boxing Day. Great atmosphere at both grounds.

When I first started watching Trinity we had regular holiday derbies with Fev and Leeds.... Boxing Day and Easter Monday was Leeds .... Good Friday and New Years Day was Fev Rovers.... 

was mostly fun apart from the 50 point shallocking we got at post office road once. 

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18 hours ago, RugbyLeagueGeek said:

I like Hemmings, but agree that Stevo's default setting was to be controversial and focusing on the negatives (errors, refereeing decisions etc) instead of the positives. Cracking game though.

Years ago during my role as a Presiding Officer at the Local Elections I got chatting with the relief caretaker at the school I was sited at.  The caretaker I think was called Stokes although I might be wrong on that.

He said he was a touch judge and had ran the line at SL games. I asked him if he had met Stevo.  He laughed and told me that on one occasion he gave a try and the ref agreed with him.  On the replay it showed - by one frame on the tv - that the try scorer had put his foot in touch.  Stevo pilloried him about the error on TV.

Weeks later the Caretaker ran the line at another televised game and all went well.  But afterwards he bumped into Stevo at the bar and questioned why Stevo had ‘bagged him’.  Stevo said his role on the commentary team was to be the controversial one, he then apologised to the Caretaker and bought him a pint.

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19 hours ago, The 4 of Us said:

Really don’t miss the Hemmings/Stevos commentary. Rather than focus on what was good they would seek to make controversy out of that which didn’t exist. 

I’d take Hemmings & Stevo over the current Bill & Baz ‘n’ Tez & Captain Birdseye arrangement. 

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The Easter programme on Sky was much like a banquet. 

There was a wonderful starter of Bradford v Leeds - often the biggest game of the weekend. 

But tradition meant Saints v Wigan was always the main course and it invariably delivered. 

Between the two, we'd go to Humberside for the fish course and on the Monday we'd get some tired puddings. 

People called Romans they go the house

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3 minutes ago, MrPosh said:

The Easter programme on Sky was much like a banquet. 

There was a wonderful starter of Bradford v Leeds - often the biggest game of the weekend. 

But tradition meant Saints v Wigan was always the main course and it invariably delivered. 

Between the two, we'd go to Humberside for the fish course and on the Monday we'd get some tired puddings. 

Monday’s games weren’t too bad, it was always the Friday games of the following round that were terrible. 

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Just now, Hela Wigmen said:

Monday’s games weren’t too bad, it was always the Friday games of the following round that were terrible. 

I know, but it didn't suit my joke. 

People called Romans they go the house

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13 hours ago, Wollongong said:

When I first started watching Trinity we had regular holiday derbies with Fev and Leeds.... Boxing Day and Easter Monday was Leeds .... Good Friday and New Years Day was Fev Rovers.... 

was mostly fun apart from the 50 point shallocking we got at post office road once. 

Yes they were good games with Wakefield too. I remember us losing a few on New Year's Day at Belle Vue, muddy and under the lights. We used to go in the Graziers pre match.

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