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A final neither team deserves to lose

I have been very fortunate to be asked to write a regular column here at Serious About Rugby League, and I am excited. Rugby league, is a game about which I, along with others, (although not nearly enough people), am very passionate. Now, this week, I am going to bring up the issue of fairness. I am not a negative person, but in reality, life is not always fair. Sport, as a vital and interesting facet of life, is not always fair.

Briefly here, I will touch on the events and results of the NRL grand final. The minor premiers, the Melbourne Storm, won the most league games throughout the season, leaving them top of the table. Should they have been the winners? Would that have been fair? As it was, through the playoff system, they were beaten in the semi finals by a superb Sydney Roosters side, leaving them to lick wounds and discuss what might have been. In the final itself, the fairytale was written. The reigning premiers, the star-studded Sydney Roosters were pitted against the underdogs, the Canberra Raiders. The Raiders last won in 1994, but their story this year promised to be even great than that of 25 years ago.

Having gained momentum throughout the regular season, including beating Melbourne at AAMI Park, and besting the South Sydney Rabbitohs in an absolute thrilling Preliminary Final, the majority of Australia were behind Canberra. The core of the team, having regularly thrown away leads or suffered close losses in 2018, had been strengthened with the addition of the English contingent, not least John Bateman, recently voted Dally M Second Rower of The Year.

In the final, the Raiders matched the Roosters set for set, despite succumbing to an early lead, their heart and desire shone through, levelling the scoreboard, and setting up a grandstand finish. Despite being the better team for large periods, dominating possession and territory, the Raiders could not breach the Sydney line. This includes a ten-minute period where the Roosters were reduced to 12 men after Cooper Cronk, in his last ever game, was perhaps harshly sent to the sin bin for a professional foul. In the last ten minutes of the game, the lead referee, Ben Cummins, ruled that after a kick, it was six more tackles to the Raiders. Jack Wighton, the Raiders half, was in possession on the Roosters 10-metre line. He saw the ref give a hand signal, and elected to take the tackle, rather than put up a bomb or kick a grubber to the in-goal. Crucially, on the advice of the second referee, as well as the third off-field referee, Cummins controversially reversed this decision, leading Wighton to be tackled in possession.

From this, the Roosters got the ball back and from the very next set, through a break by Bill Tupou, an incredible flick pass by Latrell Mitchell, and a world class support run and eventual finish by James Tedesco, scored the try that would eventually win the game for the Roosters. Here is where it gets difficult….Cummins initial call was later proved wrong, as the ball had come forward from a Raiders player’s shoulder. Cummins didn’t score the try, nor did he miss the tackles leading to the try, nor did he prevent the Raiders from scoring during the ten minutes that they held the numerical advantage, along with the possession and territory. With this in mind, the loss for the Raiders, or the Roosters win, was both unfair and wrong, but, controversially, it was also completely correct. Life is not fair, sport is not fair.

Josh Hodgson was devastated by the Raiders Grand Final defeat.

With this in mind, let’s look forward to the Super League Grand Final between Salford and St Helens. Saints have been the dominant force in the English domestic league, winning the League Leaders Shield by a record margin, beating the second placed Wigan Warriors by 16 points. They have played a superb brand of rugby this season, entertaining and thrilling, with incredible ball movement, particularly amongst their star-studded outside backs, off the back of a solid platform laid by the England and GB front row of Alex Walmsley, Luke Thompson and James Roby.

In contrast, Salford, with one of the lowest budgets in Super League, have defeated mush bigger teams, defied the odds, and beaten the bookies, to finish third in the league, and reach the Grand Final. Jackson Hastings may now be a household name, and PR superstar as well as the recently crowned Man of Steel, but he is only one man in a team that was recently described by Phil Clarke from Sky as a team full of Championship players. This has been achieved by Ian Watson, the Salford coach, who has an incredible eye for detail, and his player’s willingness to work for each other and the badge has been a joy to watch. In a similar vein to the Canberra Raiders, they are not individuals, they are a team who put their bodies on the line, they turn up and compete for each other, and they do the little things well. In short, they complete the old cliché of the one-percenters, the things it is difficult for commentators and even fans to distinguish, but collectively, lead to good results.

Salford have defied the odds to make it to Old Trafford.

Who deserves to win? St Helens? Clearly they are best team in Super League this year, however this does include their absolute disaster of a Challenge Cup Final. Some would argue that it is not fair that they are in this position, not fair for them to win the league and still lose in the Grand Final. Or, do Salford deserve to win? Only last season in the Qualifiers, and in 2017 they needed a last-gasp try and golden-point drop-goal to avoid relegation in the Million Pound Game against Hull KR. This season, they have beaten the odds and punched above their financial weight to finish third, but then they have displayed a confidence and skill that has made them deserved winners in the playoff games against Castleford and Wigan. Everybody loves an underdog, and indeed, along with the promotion of the Toronto Wolfpack, a new winner of Super League could be a fantastic PR victory for Super League, and Rugby League in general.

Indeed, most fans, except those in the red vee, would love to see a Salford win. It would perhaps generate new interest in the sport and new fans, which surely cannot be a bad thing? However, would it not be fitting to send Justin Holbrook, perhaps one of the best (results notwithstanding) coaches in the modern English game back to Australia with the Grand Final victory in his cabinet.

The underdogs versus the winners, the flash versus the graft. However you measure, this year is all set up to be an incredible Grand Final, whoever wins. However, for different reasons, surely both teams deserve to win. No one deserves to lose. Whatever happens, it will not be fair. Sport, Rugby League, and life in general is definitely not fair. Good luck to both teams.

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