Tryline Watchalong 9

-
This week's watchalong saw us look back at Super League's most dramatic Grand Final - Bradford vs St Helens from 2002. The two sides were the dominant forces in Super League's early years. This was the fifth final that they had contested in six years and it did not disappoint.

Bull Power
In the 2001 Grand Final, Bradford made a blistering start and blew Wigan away. They threatened to do the same to St Helens!


St Helens Half Time Lead
Incredibly, it was St Helens who led by half time, courtesy of two tries, both involving a big helping hand from their opponents!

Bradford get their act together
Half time came at a good time for the Bulls. After the chance to regroup, they hit St Helens with a quickfire double to re-assert control.

St Helens square it up
The Grand Final had now become a back and forth slog. St Helens started to apply the pressure and the game was all square by the 65th minute.

The chance to be a hero!
For St Helens, Sean Long and Paul Sculthorpe missed two drop goal attempts. St Helens also were unlucky not be awarded a kickable penalty, after a ball steal by Lowes was missed.

 For Bradford, Deacon had two difficult shots at a drop goal but neither could find the mark. Who would hold their nerve when it counted?

Championship Point
Fabulous runs from Darren Albert and Tony Stewart put St Helens in range, and with less than 60 seconds to go, it looked like Sean Long had kicked the championship point!
With less than 60 seconds to go, there was surely time for no more drama? Think again!
The Coronation 
After a heart-stopping finale, St Helens collected their fourth Super League title!

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Read:

The Toxicity of the Match Officials Department

-
This morning, it was confirmed by the RFL that Head of Match Officials since 2016, Steve Ganson, has been suspended pending investigation. Under Ganson's tenure, James Child, Ian Smith, Matt Thomason, George Stokes, Sam Ansell, Phil Bentham, Richard Silverwood, Joe Cobb, Chris Campbell, Steve Presley and Mike Burnett have all left the RFL. Meanwhile, Robert Hicks has stepped down as a full-time referee, moving to a compliance role, Jack Smith stepped down as a full-time referee before returning and Ben Thaler was suspended and later reinstated in mysterious circumstances. Such a high turnover of staff in a department with relatively few staff should raise cause for concern. Especially when many departing staff have commented on their departures in such damning terms. Here are what some have said: James Child The most recently departed match official, James Child, has spoken to Forty-20 Magazine. " What I've always found difficult about refereeing are not the external press
View full blog

Have London Broncos Broken IMG?

-
I am sorry but I am about to drop the C bomb. Christmas. I know, I know, it's only October but it's coming! The time of year that products are rushed out for consumers. Some of you may find a game under your Christmas tree this year. Let's take a moment to think how it got there. Before any game hits the shelves and is played by a consumer, it is extensively 'play-tested'. This means that developers play these games repeatedly, trying all sorts of different techniques, with the intention of 'breaking' the game; finding an error that renders it flawed. When they do, it is back to the drawing board, the flaw is ironed out and you play test again. A lot of work goes in to games to ensure, to the best extent possible, they are unbreakable. This is a Rugby League blog. So what does this have to do with anything? Well, the sport is set to introduce a new licensing system from 2025 and I wondered whether IMG and the RFL have done the equivalent of play-testing the
View full blog

Silence is the loudest noise of all

-
In August 2019, Batley Bulldogs hooker Archie Bruce made his debut for the club in an away defeat against Toulouse. He never returned home. Archie died from asphyxiation (suffocation) after a team night out.  A post-mortem report revealed Archie had consumed alcohol, cocaine and had 'toxic' levels of Tramadol (a strong painkiller) in his system at the time of his death. The levels of Tramadol (a medication only available on prescription), according to an expert at Archie's inquest, was in fact double the level considered toxic and potentially fatal. Archie's inquest was told that Batley Bulldogs players used Tramadol regularly, and illegal drugs including cocaine. One member of the Batley squad told the inquest " Everyone knows [about cocaine use in the squad], you just have to keep it under wraps" . After the inquest, Archie's family called for the RFL and its member clubs to implement a robust code of conduct to ensure a similar tragedy did not occur. Th
View full blog