:00:36. > :00:50.the World Cup year of 2013 is almost over. It has been an even small 12
:00:51. > :00:55.months and Rugby League. The players have been fantastic and
:00:56. > :01:01.understanding in setting goals. Danny Brough was the player of the
:01:02. > :01:08.season. Trying to play good every week is a tough job. In the past I
:01:09. > :01:12.have not done that. Warrington's master craftsman has played his last
:01:13. > :01:17.game, league dryers reflects on an amazing career. It is strange to
:01:18. > :01:24.know I will not put my boots on to play with league. And Salford have
:01:25. > :01:34.the targets in the New Year. We have two players we are bringing in. We
:01:35. > :01:36.have to be looking at progress. There may be a couple of weeks left
:01:37. > :01:42.of 2013, but we are gearing up 2014 of 2013, but we are gearing up 2014
:01:43. > :01:49.in the club challenge. It has been some year for the Cherry and Whites
:01:50. > :02:23.who won the Super League cup and the title.
:02:24. > :03:48.Blake Green with a try that might just win it for Wigan. It is Wigan
:03:49. > :03:59.at the double in 2013! An incredible season for Wigan. Has it sunk in? To
:04:00. > :04:05.be honest, I enjoyed the weekend after. It was a few days after the
:04:06. > :04:09.Grand Final when I sat back and realised we had achieved something
:04:10. > :04:13.special. It was enjoyable, not just for me but the staff who have worked
:04:14. > :04:19.hard. All of the players and the head coach, but a lot of people
:04:20. > :04:25.behind me do some hard work. It has been a real good season, very
:04:26. > :04:31.enjoyable and I want to do it again. When you look back at 2012, what did
:04:32. > :04:37.you take from 2012 and the disappointments to kick you aren't
:04:38. > :04:43.in 2013? We did not play very well, I looked after the players more in
:04:44. > :04:48.2013 to make sure they were fresh. I tweaked how we were going to play,
:04:49. > :04:54.but the players have been fantastic in understanding and setting goals
:04:55. > :05:02.for us. The way it panned out, it worked really well. How much did you
:05:03. > :05:08.use as motivation when people wrote you off because of the players you
:05:09. > :05:16.lost in 2012? Anybody is entitled to their opinion. It was motivation for
:05:17. > :05:19.me personally. I understand they are entitled to their opinion, and I
:05:20. > :05:25.understand why they wrote us off, but everything is kept private here
:05:26. > :05:29.and we knew what we had to do. We had some good performances, and we
:05:30. > :05:33.had some indifferent performances, but I knew we could perform good
:05:34. > :05:38.games. Was it a relief when you got the Challenge Cup, you had got that
:05:39. > :05:43.first trophy? Yes, it was a big day for us, that. Just to get one big
:05:44. > :05:47.cup, it was good for the players to understand what we needed to do.
:05:48. > :05:47.cup, it was good for the players to understand what we needed to do We
:05:48. > :05:54.understand what we needed to do. We needed to complete and end our sets
:05:55. > :06:00.well. We did that and we come up against Warrington, a great team.
:06:01. > :06:03.Leeds and Huddersfield, huge games against great teams, but we knew
:06:04. > :06:10.what we needed to do, keep hold of the ball. It worked. How did you
:06:11. > :06:13.juggle that because it is difficult to get them to peak for the
:06:14. > :06:17.Challenge Cup final and then get them to come through for the
:06:18. > :06:25.Challenge Cup final? I know now why it is so difficult to do the
:06:26. > :06:29.double! Once we started to get into the play`offs and the must win
:06:30. > :06:35.games, the players have been great, they understood. Training became
:06:36. > :06:40.more intense, team meetings, we would video what we wanted in more
:06:41. > :06:48.detail. The players changed in their attitude. As Leeds proved, you don't
:06:49. > :06:53.need to finish top to win a copy. We finished fourth and we did OK in
:06:54. > :06:57.those two big games. It will put us in good stead for this year. How
:06:58. > :07:03.worried were you at half`time in the Grand Final? Honestly? I felt
:07:04. > :07:11.confident. I understood we had not played very well but we did get
:07:12. > :07:15.three tries. Warrington always have a 20 minute spell when they are
:07:16. > :07:21.unstoppable and they did that in the first half. I went in the dressing
:07:22. > :07:29.room and said, " is everybody OK, if we get hold of the ball you will get
:07:30. > :07:33.your rewards". As it happens, it worked out. The feeling of walking
:07:34. > :07:39.down and knowing we had won the game, after Pat Richards scored it
:07:40. > :07:46.was one of the best games we have ever had. You could not have written
:07:47. > :07:51.the script? The way we played the game is what we planned and that is
:07:52. > :08:01.the most satisfying thing. Pat Richards' last game. I was desperate
:08:02. > :08:04.to finish with a double. Me, personally I have known them players
:08:05. > :08:10.for many years and they are close to me, I love them to places, and to
:08:11. > :08:18.send them away with a ring as well as a medal was very satisfying. You
:08:19. > :08:22.did not mention losing Sam Tomkins, big names going again? Yes, we will
:08:23. > :08:35.struggle. He has played some good games. So has some of the others. I
:08:36. > :08:43.am very happy with the two London lads. We are losing some real
:08:44. > :08:47.talents, but we need to coach these new players into our system and let
:08:48. > :08:53.them understand the culture of Wigan and they will be more of an asset to
:08:54. > :08:56.us. If you combine the players `` combine the lessons you London 012
:08:57. > :09:03.combine the lessons you London 2012 looking after the players, what will
:09:04. > :09:07.you take into 2014? You don't have to put your best team out, I want to
:09:08. > :09:13.see the kids play more. Have a fantastic time together. I am
:09:14. > :09:15.confident with resting players, putting new kids in and using 30 odd
:09:16. > :09:22.putting new kids in and using 3 odd players. I will never change from
:09:23. > :09:26.that, I want to have that same message to all of the players, that
:09:27. > :09:33.if they turn up and train well, I will give them a place. If they play
:09:34. > :09:38.well, I will keep them in the team. My stance will never change, and I
:09:39. > :09:43.have the support of the chairman. Wigan's double success wrote the
:09:44. > :09:51.curtain down on the domestic season that featured some fabulous tries.
:09:52. > :09:57.There was controversy. He stuck his hand up and said, I
:09:58. > :10:09.made a mistake. Some new stars are merged and some old favourites said
:10:10. > :10:17.good ride. Tony Smith's Warrington made it to the Grand Final with some
:10:18. > :10:26.eye`catching tries along the way. Running his way through in
:10:27. > :10:32.electrifying style. Micky Higham hit some Super League tries. Warrington
:10:33. > :10:37.Wolves took early control in the Grand Final before losing a couple
:10:38. > :10:41.of players to injury. Warrington finished runners`up for the second
:10:42. > :10:45.season in a row. There were some tears shed and we are disappointed
:10:46. > :10:50.for some of the boys that were leaving. But we would rather be at
:10:51. > :11:01.Old Trafford having lost rather than not be here at all. Saint Helens
:11:02. > :11:06.enjoyed a slow start under Nathan Brown. A hammering by Huddersfield,
:11:07. > :11:11.one of two in the opening five weeks. Johnny Lomax emerged as the
:11:12. > :11:23.successor to Paul Wellens at fullback and then Saint Helens found
:11:24. > :11:24.their form. Other Saints in the play`offs, but there was a dramatic
:11:25. > :11:41.game against Leeds. Danny McGuire's drop gold had Saint
:11:42. > :11:48.Helens stunned. `` drop goal. On the other side, the guys can feel proud
:11:49. > :11:51.of their effort and commitment to each other. It was a great game,
:11:52. > :11:53.of their effort and commitment to each other. It was a great game but
:11:54. > :12:05.unfortunately for us, you lose and you are out and Leeds are
:12:06. > :12:09.celebrating. The defending champions, Leeds Rhinos finished
:12:10. > :12:15.third in the table, the highest placing under Brian McDermott. Here
:12:16. > :12:27.is Callan Watkins. Through the tackle. And now it is about pace.
:12:28. > :12:32.Callan Watkins just avoids the last`ditch efforts and scores a
:12:33. > :12:34.wonderful try. Jamie Peacock earned the nomination for man of steel
:12:35. > :12:40.International retirement allowing him to focus on the league. Some of
:12:41. > :12:47.the things we did last year were remarkable. He has always had the
:12:48. > :12:53.ability to do remarkable things. Not many people can do those things on
:12:54. > :13:03.such a stage. He churned those massive performances out weekend,
:13:04. > :13:09.week out. It was a memorable year in Huddersfield weather Giants finished
:13:10. > :13:13.top of Super League in their regular season for the first time in 81
:13:14. > :13:15.years. They were guided around the field by Danny Brough, who finished
:13:16. > :13:39.as a man of steel. What about that for a piece of
:13:40. > :13:47.individual magic? It is a tough job. This year I have knuckled down, had
:13:48. > :13:52.help along the way and it paid off. He is doing well off the field as
:13:53. > :13:58.well. I have seen him mature as a player and how he controls the game
:13:59. > :14:05.now. Obviously I have received some nice passes of him. When you play in
:14:06. > :14:10.good teams, with good layers around who make you look good as well. Just
:14:11. > :14:16.to pop up now and again to do something good for the team, it is
:14:17. > :14:19.good to help everybody along. His temperament has been great. That
:14:20. > :14:24.could have been under question before, but when you see him playing
:14:25. > :14:31.well with a nice even keel it is key to his performances. He has found
:14:32. > :14:36.himself a bit of a home where the crowd loved him. He cannot do
:14:37. > :14:41.nothing wrong and has lots of stability with long`term contracts.
:14:42. > :14:46.He has to make the best out of what he has got. A bit more dedication
:14:47. > :14:53.and wanting to do something all of the time instead of trying one
:14:54. > :14:58.week. I have knuckled down and enjoyed it. I am in a good place. He
:14:59. > :15:05.has mature this year and that is vital to his game. He has brought
:15:06. > :15:16.the team on massively. Long may it continue.
:15:17. > :15:22.He is an outstanding liar. He has carried us in a lot of games. He
:15:23. > :15:28.shines out, but there is a lot of hard work that goes on and off the
:15:29. > :15:30.ball. He is a special player, probably one of the best in Super
:15:31. > :15:47.League. He is a proper halfback, League. He is a proper halfback
:15:48. > :15:53.cheeky chappie. He has a good work ethic as well. He has been good for
:15:54. > :15:58.us this year. He is the centre of everything that is happening. He
:15:59. > :16:02.keeps us together and it is good for the team. He leads by his
:16:03. > :16:14.performance on the field and his effort. The great leaders always
:16:15. > :16:21.lead with the actions. That is why he is in that position. He has
:16:22. > :16:22.thrived on the responsibility and showed his majority on the field as
:16:23. > :16:37.well. A great season for the hover ``
:16:38. > :16:42.Huddersfield Giants, with me is Carol Crabtree. What was it about
:16:43. > :16:49.Danny Brough? The fact he stepped up. He became our captain and took
:16:50. > :16:55.the extra responsibility. He realised he had to do something a
:16:56. > :17:02.bit. I am impressed with the way he adapted in training, so that was
:17:03. > :17:09.fantastic, he led by example in every game. He went on to win just
:17:10. > :17:15.about everything apart from an England cap. I think he will be
:17:16. > :17:21.disappointed with that himself. But all of our fans knew what he is
:17:22. > :17:25.capable of. Everybody kept saying, at some point it is going to slip,
:17:26. > :17:31.how much did that motivate you? It was a good motivator. We enjoyed
:17:32. > :17:38.that position. I like to play along with it. We went throughout the
:17:39. > :17:45.season thinking we were going to taper off and hoping it didn't. We
:17:46. > :17:51.proved everybody wrong. We are a good team and we have had a lot of
:17:52. > :17:55.changes in the past couple of years. We are a team almost in transition
:17:56. > :18:02.with the players coming in. We talked about that, they wrote us
:18:03. > :18:07.off. It is nice to stick it to those people, but we were proud ourselves,
:18:08. > :18:12.we knew what we needed to do to achieve something. What did it mean
:18:13. > :18:19.to you to finally get your hands on some silverware? It has taken 1
:18:20. > :18:26.years to win something serious. . It has been a long time coming. At the
:18:27. > :18:31.same time, I think I was probably the only one in the stadium that
:18:32. > :18:38.wasn't really celebrating. I did not have this massive euphoria, it was
:18:39. > :18:41.almost like a bit of relief. I did not even get a photograph in the
:18:42. > :18:49.celebrations with the champagne I was at the side thinking, " thank
:18:50. > :18:53.God for that". Now I cannot wait to get back out there with the coming
:18:54. > :18:59.in this year, which is probably a bit better than last year. 2013
:19:00. > :19:02.wasn't just about Super League. At the end of the we turned our
:19:03. > :19:07.attention to the international game Amber Rudd the World Cup.
:19:08. > :19:36.The World Cup in its glittering glory. `` and the Rugby World Cup.
:19:37. > :19:59.Miracle pass! One of the greatest tries. Shawn Johnson, with literally
:20:00. > :20:07.seconds. What a performance. Australia, world`class. The World
:20:08. > :20:13.Cup went better than anyone could have hoped? Totally agree, it was a
:20:14. > :20:16.fantastic World Cup and the attendances prove to everybody how
:20:17. > :20:23.good it was. The Games at times probably weren't spectacular, but we
:20:24. > :20:31.still got the attendances. It is more than we expected. I thought the
:20:32. > :20:35.RFL would not do the job properly, but you have to give them credit. I
:20:36. > :20:41.was part of the promotion team who did everything we could to raise the
:20:42. > :20:45.awareness of the World Cup. It seemed to work well and I think the
:20:46. > :20:49.only people trying to jeopardise it where the England team a couple of
:20:50. > :20:55.times. But even them in the end were superb. What did they do to bridge
:20:56. > :21:01.the gap with Australia, who were magnificent, weren't they? They were
:21:02. > :21:08.ridiculous. They didn't even break stride, they just marched forward
:21:09. > :21:13.and broke teams down so easily. And the Kiwis in the end, superior.
:21:14. > :21:19.Almost a different level. The only team that tested them and scored
:21:20. > :21:23.against them were England. Maybe if we look at a fewer little things, I
:21:24. > :21:31.am sure we will be there soon enough. We are getting closer. This
:21:32. > :21:35.competition proves that. It is vital the game builds on what has been
:21:36. > :21:41.such a successful tournament, what would you like to see them do? I
:21:42. > :21:48.would like to see a new setup, that is missing in the game. A few
:21:49. > :21:51.differences in the system. If you get to a certain age, you go missing
:21:52. > :22:01.and it is a massive loss for rugs really. They go missing because they
:22:02. > :22:06.cannot get into the first team. `` a loss for Rugby League. Apart from
:22:07. > :22:12.that, keep going and keep everything together and we also need the
:22:13. > :22:18.support, we need backers and the likes of Bradford and Wakefield who
:22:19. > :22:23.have been in trouble, having to sell players. We don't want that, we want
:22:24. > :22:28.people coming into the game and build on what we have done. We got
:22:29. > :22:33.the sad news that Steve Prescott, the former fullback had died. He
:22:34. > :22:45.battled a long illness and was just 39. 2006, he was diagnosed with
:22:46. > :22:51.stomach cancer and given months to live. Five and six years later I am
:22:52. > :22:57.running marathons and doing endurance events. Take each day as
:22:58. > :23:06.it comes and keep going and get on with life. To do what he has done,
:23:07. > :23:09.is superhuman. You have cycled through France, cycled through the
:23:10. > :23:15.UK to London and wrote the Atlantic and now you have ran a marathon.
:23:16. > :23:22.What time did you do? I have got a personal best. I think we have
:23:23. > :23:28.rewrote the running manual. Row the English Channel the day before the
:23:29. > :23:33.marathon and you run a personal best. He is amazing, and so
:23:34. > :23:42.inspirational. Lesser people would have dealt with it differently, but
:23:43. > :23:46.Steve has fought. He is a huge inspiration to everybody. He will be
:23:47. > :23:52.sadly missed. He was a brilliant rugby league player. I will remember
:23:53. > :24:04.him in that light. And also the achievements he has created. He has
:24:05. > :24:13.just pushed him to touch in the corner. A magnificent run from
:24:14. > :24:16.Prescott. Cancer hospitals need help and support servers that is why I
:24:17. > :24:24.chose the Christie hospital. They need people like us. I had to do
:24:25. > :24:46.something for rugs really, it has been my life.
:24:47. > :24:55.An incredible man who will leave a legacy? I hope so, it is something
:24:56. > :25:01.rubbed the Leeds needs to make sure of as well. Fantastic achievements
:25:02. > :25:04.he had over the years, not only on the field, but off the field to
:25:05. > :25:13.raise money for different charities. Being ill, doing what he
:25:14. > :25:18.has done under those circumstances, that situation is unreal. We should
:25:19. > :25:23.be proud of that and it is something we should celebrate. That has been a
:25:24. > :25:30.lot of talk about changing the man of steel award to his name. I think
:25:31. > :25:40.that would be a fitting tribute to someone who is so special to not
:25:41. > :25:48.only Rugby League, but around the world because he is a recognised
:25:49. > :26:02.face and a recognised figure. Hull FC lost their star signing
:26:03. > :26:05.before the season even kicked off. But they saved their worst
:26:06. > :26:15.performances for their biggest games. Beaten 16`0 at Wembley, the
:26:16. > :26:19.coach left after a play`off defeat at Huddersfield. We have let a lot
:26:20. > :26:25.of people down tonight. Not only ourselves, but the fans and the
:26:26. > :26:33.club. It will be a long off`season carrying that around. Catalan had a
:26:34. > :26:49.new coach. An injury to Brenda Webb gave an opportunity to another
:26:50. > :26:53.player. But it was Steve Menzies, aged 39 who decided to call it a
:26:54. > :26:59.day. One of my biggest fears was playing a season too long. Whether I
:27:00. > :27:06.could play another season, I am not too sure. I don't think I could play
:27:07. > :27:15.another season. It came at the right time for the kid's age. Hull KR
:27:16. > :27:18.recovered from an incorrect call at the Magic Weekend and made it back
:27:19. > :27:25.to the play`offs with some big wins on the road. There were wins in the
:27:26. > :27:29.South of France and in Headingley, but they will have two do without
:27:30. > :27:34.Michael Dobson who returns to Australia. I build my career over
:27:35. > :27:40.here and I have the Super League to thank for that. I will miss it, I
:27:41. > :27:53.have enjoyed my time here. We have a lot of friends, but on to new
:27:54. > :27:57.horizons. Francis Cummins took control of Radford and they got off
:27:58. > :28:01.to a flying start but failed to make the top eight. They are once again
:28:02. > :28:15.under new ownership, but financial problems still dominate. Not too
:28:16. > :28:23.many minutes left to play. Look how much that means to all those on the
:28:24. > :28:25.bench. We had a great start. We said there was no point being third at
:28:26. > :28:27.Easter and finishing where ever. there was no point being third at
:28:28. > :28:35.Easter and finishing where ever. But we have that knowledge of where we
:28:36. > :28:38.were and being more efficient. Probably four or five games we could
:28:39. > :28:46.of and should have one which we threw away because of a lack of
:28:47. > :28:57.concentration. We are always learning from our mistakes. When the
:28:58. > :28:59.2014 season kicks off, there will be someone missing from the Warrington
:29:00. > :29:05.squad for the first time in 17 years. Labrie is has had to call it
:29:06. > :29:11.a day and this place will not be the same without him. It is strange
:29:12. > :29:16.knowing I could never put a pair of boots on again to play rugby league.
:29:17. > :29:27.I knew it was going to come one day. But you can't prepare yourself for
:29:28. > :29:35.that day. I was not prepared. Obviously I had the neck injury and
:29:36. > :29:41.I saw the specialist. He said, you cannot play for three months. We did
:29:42. > :29:48.different things in rehab and got it right. But I took a whiplash and hit
:29:49. > :29:55.my head on the floor and pins and needles started again. I noticed my
:29:56. > :30:01.hands were cramping up. I kept it to myself, let the physio note as much
:30:02. > :30:07.as he needed to. I played the Grand Final. I went for a scan afterwards,
:30:08. > :30:14.and on the 5th of November, I got the news that I could never play
:30:15. > :30:17.again. I broke down and cried. I am not big on regrets, I have got to
:30:18. > :30:22.look forward and look at the positives in my career. 18 years I
:30:23. > :30:28.have been playing in the top level, and who would have thought that when
:30:29. > :30:32.I first started out. Moving to Warrington was the best thing that
:30:33. > :30:36.ever happened to me. 17 years on, I am still in love with the place. You
:30:37. > :30:39.have to go through difficult times to come at the other end and be
:30:40. > :30:46.successful. We have certainly done that. There were times I did not get
:30:47. > :30:50.paid. Now they are one of the richest clubs in the Rugby League.
:30:51. > :30:57.The facilities, the staff, the club itself, the supporters it is 1
:30:58. > :31:05.million miles away. I would not have changed it for the world. The
:31:06. > :31:12.memories you can look back on and think, that is special. Being
:31:13. > :31:17.captain of Warrington was an honour. The World Cup for Wales in
:31:18. > :31:23.2000 was an experience and the Challenge Cup. To win first one was
:31:24. > :31:28.the best feeling. I had lost in four semifinals before. You are thinking,
:31:29. > :31:36.when am I going to win one? You never lose a Leali'ifano. I get
:31:37. > :31:45.goose bumps, I will never replicate that ever again. To win at Wembley
:31:46. > :31:54.was amazing. The elation after that game was fantastic. What a kick!
:31:55. > :32:03.Whenever I picked a ball from being a kid I would always be on the field
:32:04. > :32:11.saying, " Lee Briers has got to make this kick to win at Wembley". I have
:32:12. > :32:20.been in that situation so many times. I am glad I put the practice
:32:21. > :32:27.in to be able to do it. I understand there will be ups and downs in my
:32:28. > :32:33.life. I cannot do it any more. But I have strong people around me the
:32:34. > :32:39.club. I am really proud to say I have got through 450 games. Here at
:32:40. > :32:49.Saint Helen 's where Lee Briers started his career. He will be
:32:50. > :32:52.missed? He will, there are few players who have a natural instinct
:32:53. > :32:57.to understand the game to find the right pass, the right kick and
:32:58. > :33:01.create space for his team`mates. Lee Briers has been one of the finest
:33:02. > :33:09.exponents of those skills. He is a great personality. He has bags of
:33:10. > :33:13.character, he is not a machine. He has all of the skills are great
:33:14. > :33:19.halfback should have. He is a great guy to watch on the field. Not so
:33:20. > :33:22.good to play against sometimes. How will Warrington be with Howard Tim?
:33:23. > :33:34.In terms of their creativity, he will leave a big hole. And also the
:33:35. > :33:40.dummy half, whoever that may be. A lot of the organisation and the
:33:41. > :33:44.talk, the people on the street cannot see his communication
:33:45. > :33:49.skills, his ability to organise the team. Now that has gone and
:33:50. > :34:02.everybody will have to pick up the slack. Steve Menzies, Lee Briers,
:34:03. > :34:07.how important is it for road really to keep hold of those stars?
:34:08. > :34:12.Retention of the stars and their roles in the game is important. Lee
:34:13. > :34:17.Briers knows things about the game that need to be passed on to young
:34:18. > :34:23.coaches and younger players. It is great he can do that. Steve Menzies
:34:24. > :34:27.has a wealth of experience across two competitions, three countries
:34:28. > :34:32.and also the ability to adapt his game as time has gone on. Those
:34:33. > :34:38.skills and experiences need to be passed on to people in the game and
:34:39. > :34:43.we need to learn from them and encourage them to stay in the game.
:34:44. > :34:45.No Lee Briers Warrington but plenty of ins and outs as the clubs look to
:34:46. > :35:16.reshuffle for 2014. MUSIC: "Let Me Go".
:35:17. > :36:07.Gary Barlow. Obviously a few changes at different
:36:08. > :36:17.clubs. Let's start with Saint Helens. You have a new player coming
:36:18. > :36:25.in and a new halfback? Nick Walsh, has been an important part of the
:36:26. > :36:29.Penrith team. Coming to us, with exchange rates, inflated salary cap
:36:30. > :36:40.in Australia and to get a player of his quality to come to this country
:36:41. > :37:00.is a massive boost for the club Luke Walsh is quite small. Looking
:37:01. > :37:03.at some of the other moves, Tom Briscoe to Leeds is interesting how
:37:04. > :37:07.Briscoe to Leeds is interesting, how will he get on? He is such a good
:37:08. > :37:15.carrier of the ball. He is renowned for causing chaos. Making a number
:37:16. > :37:19.of clean breaks during the game You have Ryan Hall and Tom Briscoe in
:37:20. > :37:25.the same team, Leeds will be a difficult side to stop getting out
:37:26. > :37:27.of their half. Just those two alone carrying the ball can cause some
:37:28. > :37:34.damage to you. It will be a challenge to him because it is a new
:37:35. > :37:38.club and a new system. There is competition at Leeds as well. A
:37:39. > :37:42.number of players who can play in different positions. It will be
:37:43. > :37:47.interesting to see how they fit into the team at the start of the year.
:37:48. > :37:52.Tom is a class player and someone who has attracted a lot of attention
:37:53. > :37:56.from overseas. One of the most pleasing thing is for me is Tom
:37:57. > :38:01.Briscoe has decided to stay in this country. It was here in July that
:38:02. > :38:05.Saint Helens and Wigan served up what was arguably the match of the
:38:06. > :38:16.season. It was a dramatic derby with some great moments.
:38:17. > :38:28.Adam Swift is over. What a return for Adam Swift. They have the chance
:38:29. > :38:35.to have a go at this Wigan line. to have a go at this Wigan line
:38:36. > :38:40.Howarth is the man at dummy half. They are looking left and they may
:38:41. > :38:47.have got some numbers. Lomax creating another one for Adam Swift.
:38:48. > :38:54.What a night! Two tries already They are looking at the video.
:38:55. > :39:01.Having a look for the obstruction. Did Lomax take that catch on the
:39:02. > :39:07.outside shoulder of his man? And was Matty Smith are guilty of moving in?
:39:08. > :39:13.The try is given. The video referee said it is a try and Saint Helens
:39:14. > :39:19.are off to a flyer here. Already into double figures and two for Adam
:39:20. > :39:26.Swift. Wigan are desperate to get themselves on the board. Richards,
:39:27. > :39:35.in the corner. Wigan have their opening try. One bright start
:39:36. > :39:38.missing tonight but another in Ryan Hampshire making his debut for
:39:39. > :39:45.Wigan. They are beginning to build again here. It is a tough tackle
:39:46. > :39:57.going in. Wigan back to the middle. Smith with the high kick. It has
:39:58. > :40:06.bounced. There has to be a question here. Who did this hit? Did Josh
:40:07. > :40:12.Charnley get a hand to this? Let's look at this again. If this angle
:40:13. > :40:18.gives a clear indication. It looks as though Josh Charnley has not got
:40:19. > :40:26.a touch so the try is given. Wigan have their second. Much needed as
:40:27. > :40:41.well. Josh Charnley has been complaining of a hand injury. Logan
:40:42. > :40:48.Tomkins. Tomkins up at dummy half again. Looking for a bit of space on
:40:49. > :40:58.this right`hand side. A wonderful pass from Ryan Hampshire. Josh
:40:59. > :41:03.Charnley scored a scintillating try. Ryan Hampshire is capturing the
:41:04. > :41:08.headlines tonight. Here he is, try maker with a wonderful pass. Josh
:41:09. > :41:17.Charnley, as ever, the efficient finisher. Coming through in numbers
:41:18. > :41:23.again. Lomax trying to create the overlap. The referee is going back
:41:24. > :41:29.because there has been a shoulder charge, he says on Gareth O'Brien.
:41:30. > :41:36.You can see that it was a late challenge from Scott Taylor. Gareth
:41:37. > :41:47.O'Brien might have played his last tonight. Over the kick goes so
:41:48. > :41:57.another two, for Saint Helens. They find themselves level again.
:41:58. > :42:08.Pat Richards, what about that! Unbelievable. Pat Richards with a
:42:09. > :42:13.drop goal to edge Wigan ahead and it came from absolutely nowhere. You
:42:14. > :42:19.will never see a more splendid drop goal than that. Outrageous from Pat
:42:20. > :42:32.Richards. What a moment from the Wigan winger. Hammered forward again
:42:33. > :42:43.by Louie McCarthy`Scarsbrook. Trouble for Wigan because it is
:42:44. > :42:46.going to be a penalty. Gil Dobson hammering away at Louie
:42:47. > :43:00.McCarthy`Scarsbrook. You cannot do that. You cannot go beating
:43:01. > :43:06.someone's on like that. Team warning for Wigan, so they could find
:43:07. > :43:14.themselves in big trouble. He has pulled it wide. Gareth O'Brien off
:43:15. > :43:19.the pitch and Tom Makinson missing what could be a crucial penalty.
:43:20. > :43:19.the pitch and Tom Makinson missing what could be a crucial penalty The
:43:20. > :43:27.what could be a crucial penalty. The noise is tremendous inside the
:43:28. > :43:33.ground now. Pat Richards dropped on it, but it is another penalty for
:43:34. > :43:40.Saint Helens. He has been sent to the sin`bin, Blake Green has two
:43:41. > :43:48.sent ten minutes in the sin`bin. sent ten minutes in the sin`bin
:43:49. > :43:55.Because it was a team warning. Jordan Turner, taking over the
:43:56. > :44:04.kicking duties to give Saint Helens possibly a match`winning lead. Time
:44:05. > :44:17.in the game yet. Wigan, desperately searching for position. Smith is
:44:18. > :44:23.well placed. Over it goes! All square again. 16 points apiece.
:44:24. > :44:28.Where does this game turn next? It is level, it is wonderful and there
:44:29. > :44:33.is five minutes to play. They will be looking for a big kick. Put Saint
:44:34. > :44:57.Helens on the back foot if they can. What about this, Turner is quickly
:44:58. > :45:09.away. James Greenwood has won it for Saint Helens. Unbelievable. Saint
:45:10. > :45:21.Helens at the last. Fantastic return by Tom Makinson. He was stopped but
:45:22. > :45:23.eventually out to Joe Greenwood and he scores the matchwinner. How
:45:24. > :45:36.important is that to Saint Helens? Fantastic game, what are they like
:45:37. > :45:42.to play in? They are some of the most attended games of the season
:45:43. > :45:46.and some of the most ferocious. So to play in another cracker of a
:45:47. > :45:54.derby was a privilege. If you stand out moments, Pat Richards'
:45:55. > :45:59.intentional drop goal looked to be heartbreaking, but it was one of
:46:00. > :46:06.those entertaining games where it was always in the balance. When you
:46:07. > :46:11.look back at 2013, where there are enough close games? For the real
:46:12. > :46:16.rugby fans out there, every game is entertaining for some reason. But
:46:17. > :46:22.the neutrals, you have to look at making every game entertaining. Just
:46:23. > :46:25.looking at the World Cup and how competitive The Games have been in
:46:26. > :46:30.the World Cup in the group stages, shows that competition and the
:46:31. > :46:34.closeness of competition creates interest and drama, and stories. If
:46:35. > :46:40.interest and drama, and stories If you look at the NRL, compared to
:46:41. > :46:46.Super League, one of the differences is the average points spread over
:46:47. > :46:53.again tends to be a bigger gap in our games, so there is a lot of
:46:54. > :46:56.40`10, those type of scores and those of The Games we need to get
:46:57. > :47:02.rid of. The only way was up the witness who
:47:03. > :47:09.finished bottom in 2012, but ended this year in ten. A double victory
:47:10. > :47:14.over Warrington gave them plenty to be happy about. We have been
:47:15. > :47:19.competitive, some of the highlights of the year, we struggled with our
:47:20. > :47:24.away form. We have beat Saint Helens away, we have Peter Warrington away
:47:25. > :47:31.and we have done well on our travels. But again, the consistency
:47:32. > :47:40.and delivering that to get points on the board of one of those things we
:47:41. > :47:45.need to keep improving. Whitfield never found the form that took them
:47:46. > :47:50.to the play`offs in 2012. Some big names have already left, but they
:47:51. > :47:55.are hanging onto the captain who earned a spot in the Super League
:47:56. > :48:04.Dream Team. It was a great looking game. He has a great blend, having a
:48:05. > :48:14.laugh and a joke but knows when to lead by example. Everybody expects
:48:15. > :48:18.him and every one likes him. We have not been up to the standard we set
:48:19. > :48:35.ourselves this year and that has been the disappointing thing.
:48:36. > :48:48.Chase has found the gap. What about that for a pass? He failed to build
:48:49. > :48:52.on an early win against Leeds. Darryl Powell made the switch from
:48:53. > :48:58.Featherstone to take over. I am sure I am going to enjoy being here. I
:48:59. > :49:03.have watched the team in the past and looking forward to the
:49:04. > :49:07.challenges. The key from my best to make sure the future is strong and
:49:08. > :49:12.that will be about the job I do partly the way the players go about
:49:13. > :49:16.their business. If we start getting more people interested in the team
:49:17. > :49:21.and watching the team, which is a fundamental part of the business,
:49:22. > :49:39.everything else looks after itself. But they must cope without Chase
:49:40. > :49:43.next season he left to join Salford. London finished off the bottom but
:49:44. > :49:49.after an uncertain few months, their future is that last secure. They
:49:50. > :49:57.have lost 16 players since the end of last season and now face a easy
:49:58. > :50:03.winter rebuilding. Perhaps the most optimistic team for
:50:04. > :50:10.2014 is the one that finished bottom in 2013. The Salford City Reds have
:50:11. > :50:16.been reborn as the Salford Red Devils and they have a new look
:50:17. > :50:20.squad and they have come to Wolverhampton races for a day out. A
:50:21. > :50:26.new club and a new group of players, how is it slotting together
:50:27. > :50:31.so far? Very well, exciting times, lots of new players and coaching
:50:32. > :50:35.staff. I have been enjoying getting to know my new team`mates. It is
:50:36. > :50:41.exciting and I cannot wait to get stuck into it. You should be on your
:50:42. > :50:46.holidays, but you are keen to meet you guys? Yes, I got told I could
:50:47. > :50:53.come back in January. I thought it would be a good time to have a few
:50:54. > :50:58.weeks off and it is important to me as a halfback to get in there and
:50:59. > :51:01.get to know people and get to know the players and things like that.
:51:02. > :51:10.For me personally, it is important. It must be buzzing, it is a good
:51:11. > :51:14.squad? Yes, competition for places. There will be lads missing out next
:51:15. > :51:19.year in games who have been playing regular Super League. It keeps
:51:20. > :51:26.everyone on their toes. Racing is a sport you know, what was it that got
:51:27. > :51:31.you into racing? I enjoy coming out on days out like this and seeing my
:51:32. > :51:36.horses run and having winners. I am a winner. How does owning a rib
:51:37. > :51:41.league club comply with owning 0 odd racehorses? It is easier because
:51:42. > :51:48.I can control which was I buy, where I run it and what jockey I want to
:51:49. > :51:53.choose. With this game, when I came in, I wasn't aware of the
:51:54. > :51:59.restrictions on who I could buy the amount of money I could spend. So
:52:00. > :52:04.that is frustrating. My first priority was to build the team in
:52:05. > :52:10.Salford, a competitive team. When I came I wanted players like Tomkins,
:52:11. > :52:18.Chase, Morley and everybody was laughing at me thinking it was a PR
:52:19. > :52:26.stunt. So far we have signed almost everybody we wanted. I would like
:52:27. > :52:35.Williams as well. But it is not up to me. I have to work within the
:52:36. > :52:42.salary cap or ask for an exemption from the RFL. They are not willing
:52:43. > :52:48.to do that. They leave it to the Super League clubs to vote. Last
:52:49. > :53:01.time it was 11 against three. What do you think if you could bring
:53:02. > :53:06.Williams in, what could he do? It will cause a reversal of the trend
:53:07. > :53:10.of the players going over to the other side. If he comes here, he
:53:11. > :53:18.will bring a few thousand people to watch the match. He is the type of
:53:19. > :53:23.player Super League is desperate for. You said you were a winner, so
:53:24. > :53:30.what targets have you set for Brian Noble in 2014? He has to finish in
:53:31. > :53:35.the top eight, that is the minimum. And with the addition of one or two
:53:36. > :53:39.players we are bringing in, we have to be looking at the progress. The
:53:40. > :53:46.new season gets underway on Friday, February the 7th when Wigan take on
:53:47. > :53:57.hold `` Huddersfield. That has been brought forward a week to give Wigan
:53:58. > :54:01.a chance to prepare for Sydney. With me is Brian Noble. A lot of
:54:02. > :54:07.talking to be done about the future shape of Super League, what do you
:54:08. > :54:12.hope they decide? We don't know The reality is, we don't know what is
:54:13. > :54:18.happening at the back end of next year whether to will come up or two
:54:19. > :54:23.will come down. They need to make some decisions and give us an idea
:54:24. > :54:28.of where we are going to. Make hay while the sun shines, there is a
:54:29. > :54:33.great momentum in the game. Would you like to see it go down to a
:54:34. > :54:36.smaller league, less clubs? I think we would all like to see the
:54:37. > :54:43.competition go to a product that every week probably the result is in
:54:44. > :54:46.doubt. If we are honest, that has not been the case over the last
:54:47. > :54:50.couple of seasons. Whilst there has been the odd shot, there has been an
:54:51. > :54:58.element of predictability we need to get away from. `` shock. The only
:54:59. > :55:04.way we can do that is reduce the number of clubs or find a mechanism
:55:05. > :55:09.where we can furnish this amount of players and clubs. You have an
:55:10. > :55:15.ambitious owner, he wants to change the rules, are you backing him? You
:55:16. > :55:22.have to look at what it does to the product. Is it a good idea for the
:55:23. > :55:25.product? Yes. Is it a good idea to get more players into the game and
:55:26. > :55:32.better stars, so that has to be yes. And stop our biggest stars
:55:33. > :55:39.going to Australia? Yes and bring some stars back from Rob reunion.
:55:40. > :55:45.They are good ideas in principle but at least they are good ideas. Are
:55:46. > :55:52.you optimistic about the future of the sport? I am, we need to sort out
:55:53. > :55:57.his domestic strife, because we are all in limbo. Then we need to get
:55:58. > :56:07.back to what we do well, the players. That is just about it for
:56:08. > :56:12.all look back. We are back in February with the weekly highlights
:56:13. > :56:13.programme. Have a great Christmas and we will leave use a memorable
:56:14. > :56:32.moments from 2013. Branches are being thrown here. This
:56:33. > :56:35.will take some breaking up. Hull Kingston Rovers cannot believe what
:56:36. > :56:41.has just transpired. It is unbelievable. It is game on now.
:56:42. > :56:48.has just transpired. It is unbelievable. It is game on now.
:56:49. > :56:55.They are in the ascendancy now. Absolutely clinical. Sensational
:56:56. > :57:07.stuff. What a night and what an occasion. They have turned it right
:57:08. > :57:12.around. Wigan have the double in 2013.