WARRINGTON WOLVES 32 LEEDS RHINOS 18
IAN RIGG, Halliwell Jones Stadium, Saturday
WARRINGTON crowned their magnificent academy season by winning the Grand Final and collecting their much-deserved trophy.
The Wolves youngsters completed an unbeaten campaign, winning all 12 matches in the regular season plus two play-off encounters, to claim the club’s first age-grade title in 13 years.
But it was an excellent display too from Leeds, who made Wire fight for the prize.
Both teams made strong starts testing out each other’s defences, but Leeds made the first handling error on five minutes in their own 20 and it proved costly from the scrum when a lovely, floated pass from Ewan Irwin found Cameron Cooper and he crossed on the left for the try.
Scrum-half Irwin, exceptional throughout, also added the first of six successive goals from six.
Harry Smith was impressing with his kicking game, forcing the Warrington defence back a few times, before Presley Cassell was held up. In the next set Oscar Brown tried to get his winger away, but it was knocked on.
Instead Daniel Coop put the home side further ahead on 19 minutes when he won the race to an Irwin kick to the corner.
Leeds forced a goalline drop-out shortly afterwards and scored their opener from it when Zak Lloyd went in from close range.
Lloyd also added the conversion, then a second try a few minutes later – after he latched onto a high kick to pluck it out of the air – and another goal which levelled the scores.
Warrington regained the lead just after the half hour when Oliver Morgan darted through the defence to score to the right of the posts.
The Rhinos forced a drop-out from the restart and went short with the kick, but there was an offside and Irwin converted the penalty.
Jake Ramsden put the Wolves further ahead two minutes from the break when Oliver Bishop made a good bust through the middle to hand on to Ramsden in support.
Irwin’s latest goal made it 26-12 at half-time and Leeds almost had a disastrous start to the second half when they lost control of the ball in the first play of the half, but Warrington also knocked on.
Harvey Butterworth was then held up for Leeds on 45 minutes, before they added their third try a minute later when a good passing movement saw Harley Thomas cross in the left corner and Lloyd judged the wind well to convert off the touchline.
Hughie Tinkler almost presented Warrington with a try at the restart when he lost the ball to an on-rushing attacker, but nothing came of it.
The Wolves then forced a couple of drop-outs before Thomas had another good chance for Leeds, but a superb tackle from Bailey Lund sent him to touch.
Their hopes of fighting back suffered a further setback when Joe Butterfield was sent to the sin bin on 67 minutes for holding down, although they continued to attack in an attempt to reduce the eight-point deficit.
Marcus Qareqare had a chance down the right but was knocked into touch, and then with nine minutes left Qareqare went for the line but was penalised for a double movement.
Cassell thought he was going to score when he collected a George Brown kick, but he was offside.
Warrington held on when it mattered, and put the cherry on the cake in the final minute when Lucas Mulqueeney went from short range to score on the left.
The young Wolves now head off for a three-week tour of Australia, which is a fitting reward for their magnificent efforts this year.
GAMESTAR: Ewan Irwin controlled the game from the very first whistle.
GAMEBREAKER: The third Warrington try just before the break put them firmly in the driving seat.
MATCHFACTS
WOLVES
1 Lachlan Webster
2 Bailey Lund
3 Charlie Walker
4 Alfie Poles
5 Cameron Cooper
6 Junior Westwood
7 Ewan Irwin
8 Isaac Holdsworth
9 Lucas Mulqueeney
10 Kian Stanton
11 Daniel Coop
12 Oliver Bishop
13 Daniel Regan
Subs (all used)
14 Oliver Morgan
19 Daniel Hackney
16 Jake Ramsden
17 Ellis Livesey
Tries: Cooper (6), Coop (19), Morgan (31), Ramsden (38), Mulqueeney (80)
Goals: Irwin 6/6
RHINOS
1 Wade White
2 Marcus Qareqare
3 Jacob Hardy
4 Oscar Brown
5 Harley Thomas
6 George Brown
7 Harry Smith
8 Jacob Stead
9 Elliott Fox
10 Joe Butterfield
11 Noah Whittingham
12 Zak Lloyd
13 Presley Cassell
Subs (all used)
14 Harvey Butterworth
15 Hughie Tinkler
19 Dax Millington
17 Dacx Jones-Buchanan
Tries: Lloyd (23, 27), Thomas (46)
Goals: Lloyd 3/3
Sin bin: Butterfield (67) – holding down
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Wolves: Ewan Irwin; Rhinos: Zak Lloyd
SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 12-0, 12-6, 12-12, 18-12, 20-12, 26-12; 26-18, 32-18
Penalty count: 7-3
Half-time: 26-12
Referee: Carl Hughes
Attendance: 1,772