The Observer - 25.08.2019

The Observer

Rugby league 25.08.19 19

Coral Challenge Cup fi nal

Clark seals Warrington’s drive

to transform misery into elation

Warrington produced a nerveless
performance to win the Challenge
Cup fi nal against a St Helens side
who buckled under the pressure. But
the victors will know all too well how
their opponents are feeling.
They arrived at Wembley 12 months
ago themselves heavy favourites to
win this trophy before succumbing
to expectation against Catalans. Steve
Price may well have been exaggerat-
ing when he described his side as the
biggest underdogs in the fi nal’s his-
tory, but he was right about one thing:
nobody gave them a chance here.
Warrington’s gameplan was inch-
perfect, their defensive qualities of
the highest order. The three tries they
scored ultimately secured the cup
but in reality, you could point to any

number of crucial try-saving tack-

les as being equally decisive. Without

their marquee player, Blake Austin,

Warrington had to do something dif-

ferent: they did that and more here.

“It’s a different feeling to last year,”

Price admitted afterwards. “It was a

very hollow feeling last year, and it

didn’t sit well with this group what

happened. This is the best perfor-

mance since I’ve been here at this

club. We’ve a special group of men

here and we’re going for the big

one now.”

Joe Philbin had already crashed over

from close-range for Warrington’s

opening try when Lachlan Coote

uncharacteristically dropped a high

ball, allowing Ben Murdoch-Masila

to go over. That mistake was symp-

tomatic of Saints’ performance.

The most consistent side in Super

League this season, it must be trou-

bling for them that they saved their

worst display of the season for the

grandest stage.

Did pressure contribute to their

display? Absolutely. There were too

many errors at crucial moments for

it not to have , and with Saints heavy

favourites here, it raises the question

whether they can transform their

dominance in Super League into a

major trophy , especially following

defeats in league and cup semi-fi nals

last year.

“It should hurt us, because nobody

wants to lose a fi nal,” Justin Holbrook,

the St Helens coach, said. “If it

doesn’t hurt then you’re in the wrong

environment.”

Holbrook also pointed to a crucial

moment in the game’s early stages

which, had it gone Saints’ way, could

have resulted in an entirely different

fi nal – and perhaps a different out-

come. Robert Hicks’ decision not to

send a Morgan Knowles try claim

to the video referee was huge – not

least when replays showed Knowles

appeared to have grounded the ball.

“Unforgivable,” was Holbrook’s reply

when asked about the moment.

With that call going against Saints,

Warrington absorbed attack after

attack before going ahead through

Philbin’s try.

Murdoch-Masila made it 12-0

at half-time, which felt huge given

the scale of the occasion and the

energy-sapping heat: these were not

conditions in which to be chasing the

game, and an early response was cru-

cial if Saints were to have any hope of

muscling their way back into the fi nal.

Tommy Makinson’s desperate one-

handed attempt to score was denied

by a superb tackle from Bryson

Goodwin. Regan Grace’s mistake on

his own line piled the pressure back

on Saints and, as the half wore on, you

felt the fi nal was slipping away from

the favourites. Th éo Fages’s try on the

hour threatened to offer a way back

but the Frenchman’s fi ne solo effort

was a rare moment of success, rather

than the catalyst for something else.

Saints bombarded Warrington’s

line time and time again but spirited

defence kept them at bay, laying the

platform for the decisive blow in the

fi nal minutes when Daryl Clark, the

game’s outstanding player, darted

over from close range.

“I think being favourites affected

them because it defi nitely affected

us last year,” Clark said. “We maybe

thought the job was done last year but

we fl ipped it on its head this time.”

How they did that. Whether

S t  Helens can respond from this in

the same way Warrington have will

be discovered in the coming weeks

and months – but with Price already

targeting a domestic double, you

suspect nobody associated with the

Wolves will care one bit about what

the Saints do right now.

Underdogs produce

a performance of

verve and resolve to

triumph 12 months

after shock defeat

by Catalans

Aaron Bower
Wembley

4
ST HELENS

18

WARRINGTON

Coote; Makinson, Naiqama,

Percival, Grace; Lomax,

Fages; Walmsley, Roby,

Thompson, Peyroux, Taia,

Knowles

Interchange McCarthy-

Scarsbrook, Paulo,

Ashworth, Amor

Try Fages

Ratchford; Charnley, King,

Goodwin, Lineham; Currie,

Patton; Hill, D Clark,

Cooper, Hughes,

Murdoch-Masila, J Clark

Interchange Mamo,

Akauola, Philbin, Davis

Tries Philbin, Murdoch-

Masila, Clark

Goals Ratchford 2, Patton

St Helens Warrington

Referee Robert Hicks Attendance 62,717

‘It was a very

hollow feeling

against Catalans

last year. We have

a special group

of men here’

Steve Price

Mark Percival of St Helens (left)

tackles Warrington’s Josh Charnley

but Saints were found wanting

Warrington lift

the Challenge Cup

at Wembley after

defeating the Super

League leaders, St

Helens, a year after

losing to Catalans

PAUL HARDING/PA

PAUL HARDING/PA