LIKE the Challenge Cup winners Leigh, the BBC’s Wembley performance wasn’t perfect, but if they didn’t lift a trophy, the broadcaster still came through with more credit than criticism.
Even with two matches, more than six hours – albeit split into two sections, with the first women’s showpiece to take place at Wembley shown on BBC Two before the switch to BBC One for the men’s – is a lot of time to fill.
And when coverage is live, there are almost certain to be some glitches and awkward moments, not least Leigh owner Derek Beaumont swearing and then apologising profusely in the aftermath of his club’s dramatic triumph spearheaded by father-and-son duo Adrian and Lachlan Lam.
It was a shame the women’s final, in which St Helens beat Leeds, clashed with football’s Lionesses making the World Cup semi-finals by beating Colombia, because exposure on free-to-air television is a great way of spreading the word, and the audience would surely have been larger otherwise.
Both Danika Priim and Kelsey Gentles talked passionately to presenter Tanya Arnold about the growth of the women’s game and it was good to see highlights of Saints’ success shown at half-time during the men’s final.
Experienced operator Mark Chapman was in the anchor role for that, and did a good job, with the same to be said for commentator Dave Woods.
There was an awful lot going on, with the drama which unfolded on the pitch supported by some brilliant backstories, and not just the two Lams.
Commentating is a tough gig at the best of times, but even harder when a game goes into extra time, therefore demanding further focus and more words when fatigue is setting in.
But much like Lachlan Lam in that key moment when he put over the clinching field-goal, Woods stayed calm and covered most of the bases when it came to encapsulating an eventful match in a few telling sentences.
Like Lachlan Lam, he’d have prepared for such an eventuality, but like the kick, the key lines still have to be delivered, and he did just that.
It was hard not to be moved by the sight of father and son embracing, and as Woods observed: “You couldn’t write this story and get away with it,” while also pointing out that Lam’s winning field-goal instantly turned him into a Leigh legend.
Pre-match, the coverage was bright and brisk, with neat pieces on the two finalists featuring both the well and lesser-known names involved at each club.
But bubbly and interesting as Robbie Paul is, why do the BBC persist with him running breathlessly around the pitch, cameraman in tow, pointing out key players who are in the middle of their warm-up and generally moving away as soon as he arrives?
Meanwhile, some new faces among the summarisers might not go amiss.
But fair play to the Beeb, because going back to the first-round tie between Edinburgh Eagles and Saddleworth Rangers, they’ve given the grand old competition some great coverage over their various formats this year.
* See the next issue (488) of RL World magazine for an exclusive interview with Mark Chapman. Out August 25. Go to totalrl.com/shop for subscription details.