Fri 27 Nov: SL Grand Final: Wigan Warriors v St Helens KO 8pm (Sky)

[Mr Frisky]

1 hour ago, gingerjon said:

"Name the Grand Final winners who didn't score a try in two full halves of football ..."

Bet theres loads in RU.....

[Old Frightful]

I know it's my club's home ground so I'm a tad biased but what a job the audio visual guys did with the stadium last night. Talking about using a facility to it's maximum potential, playing the pre match video across the white draped section of the East Stand was genius.

And although there was a strange comment about the "lack of grass" IIRC, I thought the pitch lent itself perfectly to the occasion.

All in all, it was the perfect setting for the best SL Grand Final I've seen. The RL served up was more like a throwback to 30/40 years ago when defences won matches and there were plenty of games that ended up with score lines more akin to Association Football than Rugby League.

Thanks to both Wigan and St Helens for serving up that classic, it was a privilege to witness it.

[Neutralfan7]

What a fantastic sport we're apart of!

[gingerjon]

9 minutes ago, Mr Frisky said:

Bet theres loads in RU.....

Happens quite a lot in soccer too.

[Old Frightful]

6 minutes ago, Mr Frisky said:

Bet theres loads in RU.....

I used to get texts every weekend from my pal Alan in Bury, all along the lines of :

Wasps 12 Saracens 15, Leicester 6 Bath 9, Sale 18 Exeter 6, Harlequins 6 London Irish 6....(BBC 2 Premiership Rugby Union Highlights programme cancelled.)

[Mumby Magic]

Couldnt find my sky remote so couldnt watch it.

[Harry Stottle]

11 hours ago, DoubleD said:

Bentley was the immense, best player on the pitch. Come on leaps and bounds this season

Couldn't agree more, last year Morgan Smithies was being touted as a not to far in the distant international, in direct comparison with Bentley he is not even in the same street.

[DoubleD]

11 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Couldn't agree more, last year Morgan Smithies was being touted as a not to far in the distant international, in direct comparison with Bentley he is not even in the same street.

Smithies certainly hasn’t kicked on this season as some expected or touted him to. This is always the danger with making predictions about players. However, it’s too early to judge either - we know Smithies has suffered some injuries this year and perhaps he is carrying that still. Let’s see how he goes next season. 

On current form though, Bentley is certainly streets ahead. His athleticism is phenomenal, he never looks tired, always looked for the ball, always chasing down for tackles and did the full 80 I believe. 70 tackles in the high intensity grand final is unbelievable. How he was not in the 4 candidates to choose MOM was beyond me. What the likes of Coote and Hastings did to be on that list ahead of him I have no idea. He was the standout player in my eyes

[Ramon Rojo]

59 minutes ago, Old Frightful said:

I know it's my club's home ground so I'm a tad biased but what a job the audio visual guys did with the stadium last night. Talking about using a facility to it's maximum potential, playing the pre match video across the white draped section of the East Stand was genius.

And although there was a strange comment about the "lack of grass" IIRC, I thought the pitch lent itself perfectly to the occasion.

All in all, it was the perfect setting for the best SL Grand Final I've seen. The RL served up was more like a throwback to 30/40 years ago when defences won matches and there were plenty of games that ended up with score lines more akin to Association Football than Rugby League.

Thanks to both Wigan and St Helens for serving up that classic, it was a privilege to witness it.

Definitely agree, thought the stadium looked fantastic. The tremendous effort to compliment the event certainly paid off, exceptional spectacle.

Wouldn't mind this being the venue for future Grand Finals.

[Harry Stottle]

11 hours ago, Rupert Prince said:

Far easier to lose by 20.  Pretty rotten to lose by a fluke.  Of course, it still might have gone to golden point.  And Wigan could have gone to touch for a drop goal.

Why was it the fluke you keep harping on about, less than 4" to the left the drop kick would have gone between the sticks and that would have been lauded in St Helen's as much as Wigan fans never shut up about Joe Lydon's effort at Main Road for years. But it hit the upright and one player from Saints chased just in case it hit a post and rebounded in field the kick was always big enough and long enough to go dead, pity for Wigan was none of their player's had the same idea that the ball could possibly hit a post, no fluke at all but a bloody big reward for foresight and never give up attitude by Welsby.

[gingerjon]

BBC highlights at 5pm today on BBC Two.

[Padge]

10 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

BBC highlights at 5pm today on BBC Two.

Thanks but I have to take the neighbours dog for a walk at that time, he doesn't know yet.

[Tommygilf]

Saints were on average the better team and really given the sheer amount of possession in Wigan's 30m throughout the game they should have been streaks ahead.

Wigan's defence was simply outstanding. 

Equally every time Wigan attacked they looked dangerous compared to Saints who were dire at finishing sets with attacking kicks. Saints seemed to focus on percentages so much they forgot about scoring tries. Wigan on the other hand were fantastic in attack, being held up, forcing drop outs and scoring etc in the 4 or 5 attempts on the saints line they had. Their main problem was that they simply didn't have many opportunities to do so.

Some of the decision making in the final 10 minutes was dumb from both sides. Lomax taking the ball wider on the 4th tackle 40 m out would have been remembered like Hardaker's missed kick had Wigan won. The decision not to go for the corner was ludicrous. Hardaker's problem was distance and that was deep and wide. The easy drop goal was there for the taking and Saint's frustrations at not breaking Wigan down were finally coming to the fore.

[Gerrumonside ref]

One of the best bits was speaking to friends who don’t normally watch rugby league who found the last 15 minutes absolutely gripping culminating in piece of high sporting drama.

My hope now is they’ll latch onto a successful World Cup next year even if it’s just through TV.

It’s great to have people outside the hardcore talking about the game again.

[MSW87]

What a game! I’ve been awake since 5.30am still thinking about it. 

It was absolutely incredible. One of the best games of Rugby League I can remember watching. The BBC feed described it as one of the greatest sporting moments in history. Obviously I’m biased but I have to agree. Two well matches sides, both playing at their peak and putting everything on the line to win. It has to be up there with the all time great sporting moments like Federer/ Nedal - Wimbledon 2008, City winning the league in 2013 and the 2012 Ryder Cup. 

Both teams played absolutely brilliantly, they were so committed. The intensity and physicality was at a level I haven’t seen before.

As a Wigan fan I’m utterly heartbroken to see us lose it in the way we did but, I suppose when a game is that close, and when our defence could not be broken in any other way, it would have to be such a unique sequence of events that does change the game. Fair play to Saints. Neither side deserved to lose.

I’m optimistic that with such a young side and with it largely staying together next year, Wigan will go one better.

More than anything, I think it was the game Rugby League needed. It was a wonderful showcase for the sport.

Let’s hope the clubs and the RFL can build on that! I would much prefer to only have 2 Derby’s each season but then be played at that level and in front of sell out crowds.

ohhhh I LOVE rugby league!!!!!

[HRH Lord Snooty]

Don’t have Sky and thanks to the pandemic I couldn’t watch the game at my usual pub. Do the BBC show the full game by any chance? Would be nice to experience the match in its entirety.
Thanks to both teams for a piece of sporting history. Even had a couple of my football crazy friends (southerners) commenting on the level of intensity and full-blooded commitment shown by both teams. Such a pity the stadium didn’t have a full house to witness the game.

[Harry Stottle]

11 hours ago, Futtocks said:

Okay, the season's over. Now what? The usual twelvety squillion league restructure threads?

The players tonight have excelled themselves, so can we do better too?

Must be because you are always right that you bring this up! 

[Tommygilf]

6 minutes ago, HRH Lord Snooty said:

Don’t have Sky and thanks to the pandemic I couldn’t watch the game at my usual pub. Do the BBC show the full game by any chance? Would be nice to experience the match in its entirety.
Thanks to both teams for a piece of sporting history. Even had a couple of my football crazy friends (southerners) commenting on the level of intensity and full-blooded commitment shown by both teams. Such a pity the stadium didn’t have a full house to witness the game.

I think it basically works as extended highlights this afternoon mate

[Bearman]

Well and wow! Those two Lancashire teams certainly gave us all a present for 27th November "Lancashire Day"

[redjonn]

26 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

Saints were on average the better team and really given the sheer amount of possession in Wigan's 30m throughout the game they should have been streaks ahead.

Wigan's defence was simply outstanding. 

Equally every time Wigan attacked they looked dangerous compared to Saints who were dire at finishing sets with attacking kicks. Saints seemed to focus on percentages so much they forgot about scoring tries. Wigan on the other hand were fantastic in attack, being held up, forcing drop outs and scoring etc in the 4 or 5 attempts on the saints line they had. Their main problem was that they simply didn't have many opportunities to do so.

Some of the decision making in the final 10 minutes was dumb from both sides. Lomax taking the ball wider on the 4th tackle 40 m out would have been remembered like Hardaker's missed kick had Wigan won. The decision not to go for the corner was ludicrous. Hardaker's problem was distance and that was deep and wide. The easy drop goal was there for the taking and Saint's frustrations at not breaking Wigan down were finally coming to the fore.

I think that's a fair summary, Wigan looked the more creative, which surprised me... Saints were a tad predicable, again surprised.

I guess in the intensity of the game the brain wasn't working so well... it was a really bad decision to take the penalty, Hardaker has improved as a goal kicker but I always have doubts remembering his earlier kicking at Leeds under pressure.  They I would assume never thought about... what if we miss and don't go out... Lomax made too many yards from when he caught it from a Wigan perspective.

It was an enthralling game to watch,  it was a game one couldn't take one's eyes off for a moment..

[Harry Stottle]

11 hours ago, Eddie said:

Leigh v Hunslet would have been better tbf. 

C'mon Eddie being stuck out there in the Far East is no excuse for not knowing Leigh and Hunslet are in different divisions, just saying.

[GUBRATS]

28 minutes ago, Gerrumonside ref said:

One of the best bits was speaking to friends who don’t normally watch rugby league who found the last 15 minutes absolutely gripping culminating in piece of high sporting drama.

My hope now is they’ll latch onto a successful World Cup next year even if it’s just through TV.

It’s great to have people outside the hardcore talking about the game again.

The last 15 minutes , what was their opinion of the previous 65 ? 

[weloveyouwakefield2]

Top story on bbc breakfast sport this morning, they actually sounded enthusiastic about the game...

[Gerrumonside ref]

3 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

The last 15 minutes , what was their opinion of the previous 65 ? 

They enjoyed it all.  I know you didn’t, but I think you have to concede that you’re massively in the minority on this one.

[redjonn]

1 minute ago, GUBRATS said:

The last 15 minutes , what was their opinion of the previous 65 ? 

mmm, yes one to ponder

At the moment we are caught up in the emotion of the game. My opinions are probably based on those last absorbing minutes and the sheer intensity of tackling and defence.

One the emotions of the game die down and start to analyse from a overall skill levels, we may wonder about the attacking and creative finesse showed by Saints and Wigan's skill in not being able to gain more yards and possession.