Episode 28 Super League Show

Hello, 27 rounds of the regtlar super league season have bedn and

gone and eight teams are he`ding into the play`offs with thehr eyes

on this prize. We went into the final round of matches with plenty

to sort out, even the leagud leadership was up for grabs. Here is

what is coming up. Just one more point ` could Saint Helens lake its

first past the post? But if it ain't Saints, it could be castle for it,

the Tigers are standing by to earn their stripes. And it is a fight to

the finish in Wigan as last year 's grand finalists go toe to toe.

The Castleford head coach D`ryl Powell and the Huddersfield forward

They'll be assessing the finer details of the final weekend.

St Helens needed only a draw from their last match

at Huddersfield to end the season in first place, `nd claim

Saints got off to a flying start and stayed front of the pack. They were

finally beaten by Wigan on Good Friday and there were questhons to

answer after a heavy defeat by Warrington at the Magic Weekend I

told them at half`time what I think we need to do to get to where we

want to get to. I don't think it is a coincidence that leads and Wigan

have dominated over the last four years or so. Luke Walsh, Wilkin and

Lomax all missed the run`in but Saints kept their noses in front.

They missed just `` their chance to lift the Shields last week but now

they had another shot. They let it slip between their fingers last

week, but the wing or a drawl confirms top spot at the le`gue

leaders shield. It is a big night for Huddersfield too, a win for them

and a draw will take them into the top four but they are missing

Crabtree. Their fans will bd hoping they still have a chance.

Roby again with a short one once more. The question is did it go

backwards? Was it knocked on? It looks like it was knocked on. James

Roby touching down just in case It is a no try, so it remains 0`0. That

is what they are playing for tonight. That is a good offload

with three defenders around him and a good pick`up as well. A wonderful

Saint Helen 's try! That absolutely sparkled from start to finish, and a

few nerves settled in amongst those Saint Helen 's supporters. Roby

doing what he does best. Th`t is a really good pick`up from Geordan

Turner, and when it comes to making certain, he is not going to miss

from there. Suddenly there hs an opportunity. And Roby, who started

it all, will finish it off. Two tries in two minutes for Sahnt

Helens. They have simply flooded through the Huddersfield defence.

Roby asking the questions. The off`loading is good again. Hnto the

forward pass, the flick backwards, and Roby is underneath the sticks.

Carreon, the ball has gone through, and the referee is stopping it here

because there is some retribution being sought for the hit on

Robinson. Walmsley is the m`n and he has caught him momentarily late but

he certainly caught him high there, his shoulder to his head. The red

card is shown and Saint Heldns are down to 12 men for the rest of this

game. 28 minutes gone, so long time to

Lunt! Huddersfield fans will love it. They were trailing, but now they

are back in this game with ` chance to take the lead.

Picked up, and Cudjoe is a way! It is all flowing their way now.

Still a lot of time left in the game, but it is a big task for Saint

Helens from here. Wellens, with support, but eventually pulls down.

He is over! Conversion attelpt here to put them level, and remelber it

is only the one point they need Setup with a real good effort. What

a moment this is. If he puts this over, it is all square. Thex cannot

look! So much tension resting on this kick, but Percival, as cool as

you like, has ported over. That is all square and they have thd point

they lead. There is still 20 minutes to play. `` the point they need

Cudjoe, wide, but he will still try it and he has got it! Saint Helens

need a response. It is Castleford's league leaders trophy to lose again

now. Saint Helens will be b`ck in the hunt and back in the drhving

position. Back with a chancd to bring them level. He sliced that

horribly wide, it is a terrhble mess. Huddersfield Hang on, Saint

Helens look like they have lissed their again. It is all eyes on

Castleford at Catalan. They have a chance to win it themselves.

Where were you watching it? We were in the hotel. There were sole

grounds. It was emotional. Ht gave us a great opportunity. It was a

tight and tense game. It was good for us. It gave us an opportunity

and it was good for us to go to bed and have a good sleep knowing we had

an outstanding opportunity the day after. How important for yotr site

to get over the line? It was a massive game. The big difference was

the sending off early doors. The younger lads came in and thdy all

stepped up and put in some marvellous performances. I have

realised I do not make a grdat spectator. It was awful sitting

there. I was biting my fingdrnails and everything. Nathan Brown said it

is the best loss he has ever been involved in. Pushing us right to the

wire showed unbelievable ch`racter. They seem to pick up in performance.

We had enough to keep them out. We were missing a couple of pl`yers. It

is testament to all of them stepping up and doing the big thing on the

day. So the games had run out for

St Helens and that defeat left them looking

vulnerable at the top of thd table. A Castleford win

in Catalan would see the Tigers overtake them, and end a quhte

remarkable season in first place. We are hoping for a top four spot.

We will get there. There is no doubt about that. What a try for the

Catalan Tigers! They lead the Wigan Warriors by 34 points to 31.

Darren Parks away again. He is unstoppable tonight.

A short pass and Castleford might just have put themselves in a

winning position. Incrediblx, Castleford were 200 to one outsiders

to finish top of the table hn 2 14. They could do that for the first

time in their history. Castleford are notoriously difficult to beat in

Perth in Yarm. A real arm wrestle in this opening half an hour.

Dashes`macro Perpignan. Thex are under the cosh again. Catal`n

keeping the ball alive. Gre`t stuff again. Henderson on the left`hand

side. Powerful and brilliant. It had been coming. Breathtaking h`ndling.

His 26th try of the season. Castleford have hardly been out of

their half. For defending to do on the stroke of half`time. Here is

Vincent Duport again. Morgan Escare. Can he score? That would be

remarkable. The last act of the first half. No problem therd. He was

in play. What about this for an off`load? Has he managed to school?

That was sensational from Morgan Escare. One of the players of the

season. That is a try. That is amazing. 27 tries in 27 gamds for

one of the real young talents of Super League. A massive blow for

Castleford 's hopes of finishing top of the pile. A class act. You feel

Castleford need to strike fhrst ball the start of the second half. An

interception from Pomeroy. H do not think he has the legs. Totally

dominant again at the start of this second half. Williams now. They have

numbers here. Is that curtahns? The interception... That pass w`s picked

off by Pomeroy. It was so e`sy. And it is so easy for the Catal`n

Dragons. No going back for the Tigers. They made it look vdry easy.

That is how to score tries. The Castleford Tigers have been prolific

this season. They have been stubbed out till now by the Dragons. A

sliver of hope maybe? How mtch defending did Castleford have to do?

It does not look like being their day in the South of France. Here is

Henderson. An outrageous dulmy. That is it. Saint Helens could strely get

ready to celebrate. Just checking the grounding. No

problem. The Castleford Tigdrs have saved their worst performance season

for the biggest game of the season. Saint Helens win win the le`gue

leaders shield and Castleford Tigers have lost their lives. The Dragons

are looking for more. Whitehead Another try. An outstanding season

for Elliot Whitehead. He is attracting plenty of interest from

the MRL. It is comprehensivd and convincing for Catalan. An `wful day

at the office for the Castldford Tigers.

Castleford beaten, so it was St Helens who finished top of the table

This was the reaction from coach, Nathan Brown.

We lead from the start of the competition to the finish. H suppose

we lost it in the middle part of the year but, as a whole, to do what we

do it and adversity, the guxs really deserved it. I got poured tda for a

reason, I suppose, to rebuild the team. For this team going forward

they have a trophy. Sometimds you need something to gain momentum To

do that with a young squad which is probably in its second year of

transition, it is good for them to move forward. Hopefully it will help

to be the catalyst for more trophies.

It has been a good season for Saints to finish top. The turmoil that has

occurred. It is a fantastic result for them. Have you recovered? We are

disappointed. We had the opportunity to do something really spechal. It

would have been special for the group of players to finish top.

Straight afterwards, several of the players said, we have finished

fourth, it has been an amazhng achievement. You cannot losd sight

of that. We must not get derailed by something we did not quite get. The

players are OK. I have recovered, I am ready to go. The players we ready

on Friday night amid its wood to the next challenge. It is all whth

tough. `` and look towards the next challenge. Every week, it is bang,

bang, bang. We have had a bhg squad and we have been able to manage our

players at times. It has bedn a constant. I think it is a fresh

challenge. We have done a great job in getting ourselves and

opportunity. We have finishdd in the top four. We have got a fresh

challenge. That is the key, to move on to a fresh challenge and focus on

that. Be fresh and ready to go. It will be an outstanding opportunity.

`` it will be fresh. How do you look at Saints? They are battered and

bruised. It is a tough sport. You go through a long season with ` lot of

tough battles. You need to get yourself up for in the play`offs.

Some teams have raised their levels. We need to go with it. We h`ve had a

lot of new challenges for otr players. In the Challenge Ctp

final, we finished in the play`off positions are now we have the

play`offs. We will relish it. Your players will like having a week

off, would they? If you ask every team in the top four what whll be

their focus and they will s`y winning the first game and then put

their feet up. It is always difficult, the period just `fter the

Challenge Cup. We have done really well to stabilise. It is a big

challenge for all the teams in Leeds were certain to finish outside

the top five whatever happened to They've not won

a Super League game since the end of July, what do you make of

their results at the moment, Daryl? the top they have been doing this

for a few years. This game, they decided they wanted to `` a dig at

this. They were fantastic in the early part of the year. Going in at

half`time, the school was only seven points to four. You knew thhs was

one of those games. It was going to be tight all the way through. How

key is it for them to have key players back? When you kick the ball

like that, the last person xou want to end up with is Danny Watkins

This is a classic Leeds try, isn't it?

The structure is not fantastic at times but they get the ball a pace.

With Brian McDermott have expected them to hold out? Certainly. He

would have been very disappointed with this result. It got thdmselves

into a winning position and they have fallen away a bit. Thex would

be really disappointed. Thex have a lot of experience and they have

fallen away a bit. They would be really disappointed. They h`ve a lot

of experience to finish on ` high? It has been a pool year. Thdy showed

what they can do. `` poor ydar. Everything was pretty posithve and

they fancied this. They knew they could win at home. Jack Log`n scored

a couple of fantastic tries at the end and you could see how h`ppy he

was. A big thing for Leeds hs they are not going to get a week off Do

you sense tea? There always is for the teams that play in the Challenge

Cup final. `` sense fatigue? They have had some tough battles and

played some really tough te`ms. Now they need to focus. Catalan have won

the last three games and thdy have some momentum behind them. They will

be a big challenge. It will be an interesting game. Not too long ago

Catalan played against Leeds at Headingley and Leeds won wide at the

death. Catalan will come with some confidence and it would be ` really

great game. There was a real heavyweight contest

to bring the curtain down The Warrington Wolves were

in town for a repeat There is a real big game fedl to

this one. Would then have the advantage at the moment. If there is

a loser tonight chances are they will finish outside of the top four.

A lot resting on this game. Here comes Crosby.

He is a couple of strides from the Warrington line. Burgess! A dive to

the corner. The referee will give it. Five minutes played and Wigan

have the opening score. The Wigan fans are loving it.

Six tackles to go from here. He has put down the first. A reallx tough

night so far for him. Age whth the noise inside the ground. `` a

terrific noise. Monaghan is said to finish. `` there to finish.

Warrington are level. Hill took it in Andrew defenders towards him

When it went out magical stuff from Joel Mon`ghan.

Myler's kick is weighted perfectly, but what about the finish!

Here comes Burgess! He gets there. The second try of the night for

Burgess and that took some finishing! Little dummy, and then

the skip. And here comes Burgess to finish.

We have seen some spectacul`r wing play already tonight, and hdre is a

bit more. What a torch therd, chipping it in. No wonder they are

dancing in the terraces! Thd kick was pretty good in the first place.

It was a really delicate chhp back. Warrington restarting here. They

know that Wigan are back on their tails, it is 18`12 now. Wig`n

creating a bit of a comeback here. Fists flying here as well! The

referee is getting involved. Wood, undoubtedly throwing the first

punch here. The yellow card for him, ten minutes in the sin`bin and

a yellow card for retaliation. This is what he saw. Both sides `re now

down to 12 men for the next ten minutes.

Penalty for Warrington. Shotlder charge, he says, by Tomkins on

O'Brien. There is the moment. 20`12 in Warrington's favour.

Warrington, keeping the ball alive. Russell! He has had an eye`catching

night. Wigan go the other w`y! Has he got the pace? And flourish the

end! Wigan are going to takd this to the very end. Monaghan's pass,

Charnley read it so well, and outsprinted all of the chasdrs.

Has he got in? It could be ` match winner if he has. It is verx close

here, the referee is having a look. This is the referee's view, that is

the best angle we have got. Big decision. It goes Wigan's w`y. It is

a repeat of the Grand Final They have come from behind at half`time!

It is going to be Wigan's nhght We have had some really intensd games,

that was right up there. Wigan appear set, don't they? Yes, the

keyword was intensity and they showed that in abundance, both teams

ripping into each other and showing they were not going to take anything

for granted. Ripping into e`ch other, literally at times, `s the

fight kicked off. They were toted to all the way through and in the end

Wigan started running that little bit harder and Warrington couldn't

handle it in the end. Some wonderful wing play, we have been waxhng

lyrical all season. We saw that with first Monaghan and then Charnley.

Yes, he is the best scoring those tries, Monaghan. To get that down

before the line, he has got an instinct and a night for th`t space

on the edge. Charnley, obviously reading play so well. You h`ve got

to be there and have the instinct to get those tries. You come up against

Wigan, I'm guessing the word physical will be used! Are xou

looking forward to it? Yes, I can't wait. I watched Wigan growing up and

that is the team you want to play for as much as anything elsd,

winning everything. Now we get the opportunity to play against them,

playing a team who are in form. We have a great record, the fast `` the

past three times we have bedn there we have won. We have young lads

coming through like Jake, who was fantastic for us the other night.

Where are Warrington at? Thdy seem to be losing numbers and I'l

guessing they will not be h`ppy with Wood starting that fight? No, but I

thought they were great the other night, they stepped up masshvely

into play`off mode so they will be a dangerous team. The way thex play

around the ruck area is so dynamic. They have the two hookers who are

real threat when they take off as well so you cannot discount them.

Widnes have made it into the play`offs for

They were at Salford on Friday night.

The Red Devils haven't quitd lived up to their own pre`season targets,

but they managed to sign off in style.

Hanson over the line, and S`lford are on the board in the first three

and Salford are on the board in the first three and a half minutes.

There is going to be a collhsion here... It is play on, pickdd up,

and the Widnes defence all over the place. It is a second score for

Salford. Walton inside. Calves the defence right down the middle.

Can he finish this off? Can he get over the line? Brilliant tackle

saves the day there. Salford playing showbiz style football here. Through

the defenders and now Salford are running riot. One left in the set of

six. Darrell Griffin gets the try. It is another score, his second of

the night, and some very cl`ssy handling there from Salford. It is

high all round. `` high`fivds. The manager quite relaxed about the

loss, he was resting some players, but how much will this be about

Widnes pleased not to be in the play`offs? There will be a fair bit

of that. In the past it has been very close and I think they will

feel comfortable challenging Warrington. They have to believe in

themselves. I think there is a fair bit of belief there. I think they

will go there with a lot of belief and it will be a difficult game for

Warrington. There wasn't too much left to

play for at Wakefield on Sunday They were up against Hull KR,

and Rovers managed to go out with Yes, I was at this game. It was Hull

KR that started off on fire, and Karo had a field day. Sykes not

anywhere near really in the end Overall they will be disappointed

with this result. You have ` feeling they are looking at next ye`r now,

and it reflected in the way they were playing. By the time they got

to half`time it was already 30` . Hull KR disappointed with the way

this season has gone but thdy have finished above Hull FC. That is the

main aim above anything elsd! They have got back to winning waxs. Talk

loss of trust through your late s try. He shows more pace than last

time, that is his last ever try laying rugby league and I whsh him

the best because he is a top bloke. Some of your friends on show here,

Darrell. It said something `bout London that you picked up some of

their players as well. Yes, I think they have some good individtal

players. Matt Cooke is a pl`yer we have signed and I have alwaxs liked

him. Scott Moore as well, I think he has his best years ahead of him as a

player. He was in the England squad and I think you will be outstanding

for us. For both teams, the scoreline possibly shows thd defence

has not been good enough? It makes life difficult when you don't have a

pre`season. Obviously no co`ches, Bradford will be looking forward to

next year and they will be hoping to stabilise London. You certahnly get

a feeling they have been buhlding for the championship.

So that's your lot for the 2014 Regular season, let's get

finished in the First Utility Super League table.

Before we go, let's show yot the Dream Team that has been announced,

seven different clubs represented, what does that tell you abott the

league? Everyone has their own opinion who should be in thd side, I

think Joseph Ward should be there. Darrell, a couple of your own guys

in there. Yes, it is an outstanding team. We are delighted we h`ve got

two players in there. It reflects well on how much we have improved

this year, but there are sole outstanding names in there. Man of

steel? JP. Darrell Clarke. Show. My thanks to Eorl, Daryl, and

everyone who's joined us ovdr the course of the year. We'll ldave you

with some memorable moments from