ARE THE best games of rugby league always those high-scoring encounters with lots of tries for supporters to cheer?
This season’s Grand Final between Wigan and Hull KR answers that question with a resounding NO!
The game was end to end throughout with both defences working hard to keep their opposition out.
With disallowed tries, errors and moments of heroics, there was drama throughout. And while there may have only been one try, it was quite a magnificent one, and one that proved decisive as Wigan claimed their fourth major trophy in 2024.
As I wrote last month, I attended the game not in my media capacity, but simply as a fan alongside my sister Pauline, brother-in-law Lee and my niece and nephew Elsie and Lucas.
Elsie was enjoying her fourth trip to Old Trafford, Lucas his second, but given how much they enjoyed the game, I suspect they’ll not be missing too many finals in the future.
If anything, my enjoyment was heightened this season by the introduction of the safe-standing zones in Old Trafford. We were in one such corner with the very vocal Hull KR contingent and we’re already planning on standing there again next season.
I don’t know why standing, as opposed to sitting, at a game makes any difference, but having grown up watching the Bulls from the Odsal terracing, being on my feet for the 80 minutes of action feels natural to me. So the fact I can now do that at one of the biggest games of the season at one of the biggest grounds in the country gets a big thumbs up from me.
Away from the action at Old Trafford, which is covered in detail over the coming pages, one topic of conversation that inevitably comes up around the time of the Grand Final is the question of whether or not the Women’s Super League Grand Final should be played at the same time as part of a double-header.
I think most people who ask me that question expect me to be all in favour of that so are usually quite shocked when I’m not – well not just yet anyway.
I’m not saying I’m against it indefinitely, but at the moment I like the fact that the women’s game gets its own day in the spotlight.
It’s all very well having the Challenge Cup Finals and internationals as double-headers, but I fear that if we always have the leading women’s games ahead of similar men’s matches, it risks sending out the message that the women’s game is secondary to the men’s rather than being a spectacle in its own right.
As you’ll see later in this issue, the Women’s Grand Final between St Helens and York was played at the Totally Wicked Stadium six days before the men’s clash and it was watched live by a record crowd of just under 5,000 supporters in attendance.
Add to that the viewing figures for Sky’s coverage and the game, which York won to retain their title, was a great advert for this area of the game that I am so passionate about.
Those fans that made the trip to St Helens all but filled the stadium’s north stand and looked great on TV; the noise they made on the day was pretty special as well.
We have seen the attendance for women’s games increase steadily over the last few years and I am confident that this will continue to be the case. But even if 7,000 or 8,000 fans specifically want to watch the Women’s Grand Final, that amount of people inside a ground the size of Old Trafford would just look sparse. Yes, I know if there was a second game to watch, some fans would arrive early to watch it, but we’ve seen at Wembley in the last couple of years that that is not always the case.
It’s not just about crowd numbers for me though.
A lot of work is being done below Super League level to grow the women’s game and it is vitally important that we remember that and show it off when we can.
There are players running out in the Championship leagues that are the future stars of the game and not only does that need showcasing, but these players need to get a feel of what the future might be like for them.
Having a stand-alone Women’s Grand Finals Day allows the game to do just that.
Despite the many structures of the Women’s Super League in the past few seasons, the Super League Grand Final has generally been preceded by a final between the leading sides from the level below.
What would happen to this game if the Super League Final was taken to Old Trafford? Chances are it would be played at a much smaller venue in front of just a couple of hundred fans.
For the future of the women’s game, we need to ensure the pyramid under Super League is as strong as it can be. The best way of achieving that is by promoting it, and a Women’s Final day is a perfect way of doing that. If you hide it away from a captive audience, the risk is it will hide itself away for good.
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 502 (November 2024)
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