How Super League Grand Final was won: Wakefield Trinity 23 Warrington Wolves 10 match report
Two years after Wakefield Trinity returned to Super League they are planning for a World Club Challenge.
For the first time since 1968, Trinity - for so long one of the elite competition’s whipping boys - are rugby league champions. And deservedly so. Their 23-10 Grand Final victory over Warrington Wolves at Old Trafford is one of sport’s greatest phoenix stories and it seems the game has witnessed the emergence of a new force.
The city is behind them, they have a wealthy and ambitious owner, one of the smartest coaches in the sport, a young playing roster and the desire to improve. Some good players are leaving, but any club who can afford to let go the likes of full-back Max Jowitt and winger Lachlan Walmsley, who were both superb in the title-decider, must be in a strong position squad-wise. It’s unlikely the arrival of global superstar Roger Tuivasa-Scheck next year is going to make them worse.
On the biggest stage, Daryl Powell’s men outplayed their opponents in every department to become the first team to win the title from fourth place on the table. Though Warrington salvaged some pride after the break, scoring 10 points to four, they were never really in the contest.
The 19-0 half-time score reflected Trinity’s total dominance of the opening period and, but for the eagle eyes of video official Jack Smith, they could have been even further ahead. A yellow card for Corey Hall soon after the break was a stumbling block, but Tom Johnstone’s try midday through the half settled the issue.
Though Johnstone was an emphatic winner of the Rob Burrow man of the match award - 21 votes, with Tyson Smoothy second on nine - Trinity had heroes across the board. The YEP’s choice was captain Mike McMeeken who contributed a remarkable 80-minute stint in the front-row.
It was a hugely impressive team performance, but the match was too one-sided to be a classic. Trinity looked a cut above from the first whistle and Johnstone appeared to have scored after only six minutes, but the on-field decision was overruled for a hand on the touch in goal line. That was outstanding defence by Wolves’ Albert Hopoate and Ewan Irwin, however Trinity didn’t let the near miss affect them.
Just four minutes later Johnstone was pulled down on the left flank, the ball was moved to the other side, Jack Sinfield’s long pass was picked up low by Walmsley and he cut in-field before doing remarkably well to release the ball to Cameron Scott who went in for the opener.
On 25 minutes Johnstone leaped above Hopoate to collect Jake Trueman’s kick. Rather than being tempted to go himself, the winger coolly turned the ball inside to Isaiah Vagana and he had a clear gallop to the line. In 2004 and 2005, Sinfield’s father Kevin and Vagana’s dad Joe were Grand Final rivals, the former winning with Leeds before the Bradford Bulls gained revenge 12 months later.
Ten minutes after Wakefield’s second try came another. Tyson Smoothy almost twisted over from close-range, Jazz Tevaga stepped into the acting-half role and darted between Ben Currie and Josh Thewlis for a killer touchdown.
Even that wasn’t enough for Trinity. Three minutes before the interval Sinfield - in a smart move so reminiscent of his dad - landed a drop goal to leave Warrington needing to score four times. That was a mountain, but they reached base camp six minutes after the resumption.
Corey Hall whacked Aaron Lindop around the head and was sin-binned. There was no intent and the pair shook hands as the Trinity man departed, but - after a Warrington captain’s challenge overturned a decision against Wolves - Lindop extracted revenge by going through the gap left by Hall’s absence and Ewan Irwin’s kick reduced the gap to 13 points.
It might have been panic stations moments later when Matty Ashton raced over, but Kelepi Tanginoa’s pass was ruled forward. However, the steam went out of Warrington when Johnstone went over for a fabulous touchdown from three-goal Jowitt’s pass and Lindop’s second try was nothing more than consolation on perhaps the greatest night in Trinity’s history.
Wakefield Trinity: Jowitt, Walmsley, Scott, Hall, Johnstone, Trueman, Sinfield, McMeeken, Smoothy, Rodwell, Vagana, Lipowicz, Tevaga. Subs Lino, Pitts, Hamlin-Uele, Faatili.
Warrington Wolves: Thewlis, Hopoate, Lindop, King, Ashton, Williams, Irwin, Byrne, Walker, Harrison, Bentley, Stone, Currie. Subs Yates, Powell, Philbin, Tanginoa.
Referee: Liam Moore (Wigan). Attendance: 71,728.