Matterson Feeling the Heat

It was all going so well for the Tigers. A well-fought win over Leeds five weeks ago was surely enough to complete the Super League survival act?
Not so it would seem and it sounds like the strain is starting to take it's toll on those at the Jungle.



Coach Terry Matterson's comments about the relegation situation appear not that of a man who is concerned with the general running of Super League, but more the pleas for help from a man feeling the pressure.

The Tigers haven't claimed a single point since their victory over Leeds nearly six weeks ago and after four straight defeats, Castleford go into the final three games of the season just one point ahead of Wakefield, the side they play on what will most likely be a last day relegation decider at Belle Vue.

At first glance, Matterson's comments about the relegation system seem justified and to be perfectly honest, they are not ills that haven't been pointed out before. Problems such as the uncertainty for the clubs at the bottom end of Super League and the difficulty faced by the club promoted from the National League to get together a Super League quality team in the space of just three months have been much discussed and, in that respect, Castleford have been somewhat fortuitous, being able to take advantage of the unexpected availabilities of Danny Ward and Danny Brough.

All such comments may just seem fairly innocuous but it's the timing of these comments, with just three games to go, that show that Matterson isn't just expressing a concern, but more appealing for assistance from those at Red Hall and it seems a shame that a coach who has deservedly earned great admiration for what he has done on limited resources at The Jungle should speak out like this.
The facts are simple. Castleford have been well aware of the relegation criteria since they won the National League Grand Final last October and the fact also remains that they could have ensured their survival some weeks ago.
Granted, few would expect them to be able to pick up points against runaway leaders St Helens or get something from a trip to Odsal but by the same token, they would have been expected to pick up points against fellow strugglers Huddersfield and at least get on the scoresheet at home to an 11-man Wakefield side.

With the bottom clubs all playing each other in the coming weeks and Wigan, Wakefield and Harlequins both finding some form going into the final furlong, Matterson is rightly worried. Granted, some players will return from injury for the game against Harlequins but a defeat in that game could set the Tigers on the slippery slope down to National League One.

Saints will Canter to Super League Glory

Saturday's Challenge Cup Final turned out to be a bit of an anti-climax. The build-up to the game was generally muted, the ground didn't quite fill-up and as for the game itself, the second half was meerly an exibition match for the superstars of St Helens.

Daniel Anderson's men have brushed aside all that have stood in their path this year in Super League and now that the Challenge Cup sits proudly on the Knowsley Road mantlepiece, the Saints are looking odds on for the domestic treble.

Despite the determination of Huddersfield in the early exchanges, the brilliance of a St Helens side, which could even afford to leave out Great Britain forward Nick Fozzard, shone through. Shaun Long's superbly crafted try just prior to half-time effectively turned the game in the favour of St Helens and from that point on, it was always going to be one-way traffic.

With the minor premiership effectivley in the bag, only a fool would back against Anderson's men, but the Saints fans would be forgiven for being just a little wary.
At this point last year they were also looking like Champions but ultimatly, the season ended disasterously, becoming the first minor premiers in the Super League era not to reach the Grand Final after a plethora of injuries hit star players including Sean Long, Paul Sculthorpe and Darren Albert.

This year though, the Saints look unstoppable. Daniel Anderson has created a confident team that oouses class and is by far the best British side to watch with ball in hand. Not only that, but they have a pack of forwards which can compete with the biggest around.
St Helens teams in the passed have been accused of relying too heavily on the so called 'big three' of Sulthorpe, Long and Cunningham yet that is not a criticism that could be levied at this side. The likes of Leon Pryce, Jamie Lyon and Jason Hooper are all capable of changing games through moments of individual brilliance and the emergance of young players such as James Graham and James Roby has added even more competition to an already star-studded line-up.

Whilst the likes of Hull, Leeds and Bradford will all be targetting a place at Old Trafford on October 15th, it'll be the Saints who'll be wearing the Super League crown.

Another Challenge Cup Upset?

Huddersfield Giants will be hopinbg to emulate the Sheffield Eagles this weekend as they travel to Twickenham for Saturday's Challenge Cup Final.


The Giants go into the game with runaway league leaders St Helens as huge underdogs in a clash which is being likened to the 1998 Final between Wigan Warriors and Sheffield Eagles. That year, Sheffield pulled off what is regarded as the greatest shock in Rugby League history, beating the eventual league Champions 17-8 at Wembley.
The year following that victory, the Eagles contraversially merged with the Giants, a relationship that has since been extirpated and now Huddersfield will prepare for their first Challenge Cup final for 44 years.
The odds are stacked against them. Fartown are currently ninth in the league, just two points ahead of the relegation zone whilst the Saints are four points clear at the top of the league and looking odds on for the Super League championship.
But despite going in to the game as overwhelming favourites, they would be foolish to take the injury-hit Giants as lightly as Leeds Rhinos did in the semi-final. Huddersfield became the first side to beat the Saints his season, with a 19-16 home victory back in May and coach Jon Sharp as also masterminded impressive victories over Warrington, Leeds and Harlequins.
In Robbie Paul, the giants will be led by a Cup Final veteran and Chris Thorman, should he pass a late fitness test, is capable of unlocking the best of defences. If the physical Giants forwards can get on top of the Saints then Daniel Anderson's men may not have it all their own way.

I, as do most people, expect St Helens to be lifting the trophy on Saturday afternoon but at the same time, I don't necesseraly see the walk-over that some people are proclaiming it to be.
If the Saints don't show and the Giants put on a solid, error-free performance, then we could see a repeat of 1998.

Halifax on the Brink

Next weekend is one that could turn out to be the biggest weekend in the history of Halifax RLFC.
On Sunday 3rd September, Halifax take on Whitehaven at the Shay and reports say that anything less than a 5,000 gate will fail to plug a £90,000 over spend on players wages and could lead to the club folding, taking 133 years of history with them.

It was all supposed to be so different. The dream was to have a top flight team, full of international stars playing amongst the game's elite infront of packed crowds and television audiences in a state of the art stadium. Instead, they are walking the tightrope between National League 1 and 2, playing infront of small crowds in a building site. This is certainly not what envisaged as the club stepped into Super League in 1996.

Cash problems at the Shay are nothing new. Fellow tennants Halifax Town FC are struggling with to keep the bailiffs at bay whilst the RL club, in their former guise as the Blue Sox, had to fend off the administrators at the turn of the millenium. That escapade was one of several examples that eventually led to the introduction of the Super League salary cap and it seems that the club still hasn't quite got the hang of controlling player salaries.

Since then, the clubs demise could be likened to that of Leeds's United's. In their pursuit of Super League glory, they spent money that they ultimatly didn't have and in an effort to stay afloat and players had to be shipped out.
A 16-6 defeat to Leeds Rhinos in the 1998 play-off series was their only forray into the Super League 'elite' and relegation followed five years later, as the club ended the year with just one victory - two points which were eventually wiped out due to salary cap breaches the year prior.
The year later, the club narrowly avoided a second sucessive relegation by virtue of a four point victory in the NL1 Qualifying play-off against York.

On the basis of results, the club's business plan over the last ten years is questionable to say the least. Even now, after the clubs past experiences, a £90,000 overspend suggests that they still seem insistant on chasing the dream of the holy grail that is Super League.
This makes an even more compelling argument for ending automatic promotion and relegation in 2009. In the present climate, clubs are facing a never ending struggle to compete with the elite in the division. The likes of Hull KR, Widnes and Leigh are lightyears ahead of the competition, yet the opposition still seem insistant on spending money that they simply don't have in an effort to keep up. Franchising will end that, encouraging clubs to formulate a sound business plan with will keep the club viable as a business and competitive on the field.

Relegation from Super League has effectively killed off Rugby League in Halifax. The fans and the investors left, many now likely to be found at Odsal or Headingley. The powers that were during the late 90's that chased an impossible dream have triggered a chain of events that have led to the current situation.
An emergency members meeting has been called for 11th September where the club's future will be decided. Fans of all clubs have been called upon to visit the Shay on 3rd September for the clash with Whitehaven although it may meerly be a case of delaying the inevitable. A bumper pay-day may provide temporary restbite, but as a long term solution for maintaining what little sporting profile their currently is in the West Yorkshire Town, it may be too little too late.

Cunningham Quits International Rugby League - No, Really This Time.

St Helens hooker Keiron Cunningham has this weekend announced his retirement from international Rugby League.





The news may come as a suprise to some of you in that most of you probably thought that he retired a few years ago.

Despite signing a lucrative "Club GB" contract with the Rugby Football League due to his percieved value to the Great Britain set-up, the 29-year-old has mustered just 16 caps for Great Britain after withdrawing from numerous tours and International series.
For the 2004 Tri-Nations, Cunningham opted for surgery rather than representing GB so that he could be fit in time for St Helens' start to the new Super League campaign and the Welsh international withdrew in from David Waite's GB squad in 2003.

Of the 16 caps that Cunningham did achieve, only twice was he on the winning side, the latest being a victory over a makeshift New Zealand side in what will turn out to be his last ever appearance for the Lions.

This announcement is pretty much expected even if it wasn't really needed. Cunningham for one reason or another never really tested himself against the best in the world, but seemed happy to take the plaudits at club level.

As for the future? Injuries and suspension permitting, Terry Newton is assured of the number nine jersy for the Tri-Nations whilst Salford's Malcom Alker, Wigan's Mickey Higham and Matt Diskin of Leeds will be looking to snatch the remaining seat (or seats) on the plane to Australia.

Goodbye Keiron although I doubt you'll be missed that much.

Carney Coming Back to Super League?

If Fox News are to be trusted (and usually they arn't), then Brian Carney could be heading back to Blighty before he's even set foot in Gold Coast.





Rumour has it that the Irish winger isn't enjoying his time in Australia quite as much as he anticipated he would and could be booked on the next flight home once the Tri-Nations come to a conclusion in November.

The former Wigan favourite is currently on the books at Newcastle Knights, one year before he is due to join up with new club Gold Coast Titans next year and if today's reports are true, then he could become the forth player to turn his back on deals they signed with the Queensland new-boys, with Tony Puletua, Luke O'Dwyer and Steve Turner looking to negate on deals signed with the Titans prior to next year.

As for Carney, the usual suspects are being touted as possible destinations with Wigan and Warrington being the main names on everyones lips. Carney might favour a move to his old club but even Maurice Lindsay wopuld struggle to get him under the salary cap. Warrington looks a better shout though. With Toa Kohe Love out of contract and Brent Grose reportedly heading to Melbourne Storm, they have both the need and cap space for a star three-quarter.
Leeds will be another name no doubt mentioned and with Scott Donald, Lee Smith, Danny Williams and Ashley Gibson all struggling to replace the void left by Mark Calderwood and Marcus Bai last season, Tony Smith could be leaving a few hints for Mr Hetherington.

Carney is certainly one of the games likeable characters. He's a great player on the field and a good bloke off it as well. If it does materialise, then he's most welcome back in my view.

Daniel Anderson's Plea for Attention

This week's 20 man squads are in and to be perfectly honest, it's not usually an announcement that excites me. Apart from looking for the odd injury here and there, it's pretty much par for the course.




But it's nice to see that St Helens coach Daniel Anderson has picked up a few habits from his predecessor Ian Millward.
For this weekend's match with Les Catalans in Canet, Anderson could hand senior debuts to no less than nine junior players.
Craig Ashall, 19, Steven Bannister, 18, Gareth Langley, 21, Paul Leyland, 20, Craig Littler, 20, Dean McGilivray, 18, Neil Rigby, 20, Sam Thompson, 19, and Ian Webster, 19 are all named in Anderson's 20 man squad as well as 36-year-old hooker Tommy Hodgkinson.

In Anderson's defence, this isn't as 'Millward-esque' as first appears. After all, this is a nothing game between a side all but assured of top spot and a side exempt from relegation. Granted, it might be interperated as a lack of respect towards the Dragons but with a Powergen Challenge Cup around the corner, Anderson has got to prioritise.


On another note, last week Daniel Anderson claimed that his sides achievements weren't getting the recognition they felt they deserved.
Instead, the whole of Rugby League Land seems more bothered about what's going on in the lower regions of the table with Wakefield, Castleford, Harlequins, Huddersfield and of course, the no longer so mighty Wigan. Even Sky TV admitted as much during their coverage of Wakefield vs Catalans.

You can see where he's coming from, but the fact is that the top of Super League has been boring. In fact, it's been about as interesting as a 24hr Big Brother feed on E4.
Saints will finish top. Hull will most likely finish second, Leeds have just been handed third place on a plate by virtue of Bradford's points deduction and the Bulls will enter the play-offs from 4th.

It looks like Anderson needs to learn that success is over-rated. Mediocrity is where it's it. (That, and breaching salary cap regulations).

Leeds in Crisis?

It was all going so well. Second in the Super League, closing the gap on top placed St Helens and a Challenge Cup semi-final just around the corner. Fast-forward a month and the Leeds Rhinos look to be in free-fall.






Friday night's 20-18 win at the hands of relegation threatened Wigan was the fifth defeat in succession for Tony Smith's side in all competitions, three of which have come against sides in the bottom half of the table, a run which has seen them lose their grip on a top two position and a place in the Powergen Challenge Cup Final.

Take the individual defeats at face value and they generally don't look too disastrous. A one-point defeat at Castleford, a traditional Leeds bogey ground was followed by an 18-14 defeat at home to first-place St Helens and a 23-16 defeat at Hull.
However, the results only tell a fraction of the story.

These aren't the narrow loses that they might at first appear. The scorelines have been more than flattering to abject Leeds performances, as epitomised by the Challenge Cup semi-final to Huddersfield. No longer are the Headingley faithful seeing the slick passing, clever offloading and the mean defence that they had come accustomed too in recent years. Instead, they are seeing a Leeds side that seems to be lacking any cohesion, is devoid of ideas in attack, clearly missing the creativity of Danny McGuire and error prone in defence.

What the problem is depends on who you talk to. Rumours will continue to circulate, particularly at a club the size of Leeds and these rumours have intensified in the current slump.
Rumblings of a training ground bust up have emerged and in addition, Coach Tony Smith's people management skills have been called into question.
Smith's expressions as the Sky cameras were fixated on him throughout Friday's game didn't give the impression of a coach confident of stopping the rot and whilst some would question the strength of so called 'player power', few could argue that the performances on the pitch are that of a team playing in complete unison.

Some supporters point to the departure of assistant coach Brian McDermott as a 'turning point' in the season. McDermott's departure coincided with the first defeat to Castleford. Francis Cummins has since been promoted in the official capacity of "Assistant Coach", yet appears to be working more alongside Graham Hallas rather than occupying the role vacated by McDermott.
Despite that, the poor form is hardly restricted to the five defeats that are under the spotlight. The Rhinos were lucky to snatch a last gasp defeat against Bradford prior to the Castleford game and it was only a late drop goal that saw them escape Salford with two points. In fact, barring a 60-0 win against Harlequins in March, it's difficult to highlight a clearly good Rhinos performance this season.
The nature of 30-0 victory at Odsal in May somewhat overshadowed the poor performance of Bradford and the comfortable victory in Perpignan came against a Catalans side with 12 men. The story of the season seems to be one of half performances and 'coasting' victories.

The depth and balance of the squad had become a key concern for supporters before a ball was even kicked. Player recruitment, particularly regarding the improvement of the forwards, had been questioned. Aside from Jamie Peacock, the activity on the transfer front did little to inspire the fans at LS6. The signing of Mark O'Neill indicated that Smith would toy with the idea of rotating second row forwards in the prop position. The apparent lack of size up front was compounded when Danny Ward was handed his P45 just two weeks before the start of the season.
In the backs, Leeds haven't recovered from the departure of Mark Calderwood and Marcus Bai as well as the loss of Richard Mathers to a season ending injury. Scott Donald hasn't been the replacement for Calderwood that Leeds fans thought he would be and Lee Smith, Danny Williams, Ashley Gibson and Jordon Tansey have all tried their hand at replacing Bai and Mathers with little success.
There is little doubt that this side is reminiscent of the 2002 and 2003 sides with were decimated by injury. That period saw the emergence of Rob Burrow, Kevin Sinfield, Danny McGuire and Richie Mathers who were all thrown in at the deep end and the loiners would hope that the academy players this term will lead them on to similar success. Their performances so far have not been consistent enough to suggest they are ready for regular Super League rugby at present, but these players are in that awkward position where they have outgrown U21 football.

The Rhinos now have four games to cement their place in the play-offs. The Rhinos desperately need to find form at the business end of the season and secure a third place finish as a minimum. They will draw confidence from the fact that Bradford came from that very position to beat them in last year's Grand Final but the Bulls of 2005 were a much fitter, larger and more confident side going into the same stage last season.

The current side seems a far cry from the Championship winning team of 2004 and even though many of the personnel remain, not one individual appears to have improved from then.
Most would expect the people in charge at Headingley to stop the rot, but it may take a major change along the way.

The Karl Harrison Moan-o-meter

Salford coach Karl Harrison is not one who likes to sit on the fence. He's not usually regarded as thr world's most gracious loser and is often a reliable source of an interesting comment in post-match interviews. All coaches moan, of that there is no argument, but Karl Harrison seems to do slightly more than most.




After Salford's narrow 19-18 defeat at home to Leeds in Super League XI Round 17, Harrison was clearly unhappy at some of the referee's decisions, launching this outburst in the post-match press conference.

"I am sick of my players being done because we are Salford. This is the first time I have moaned all year."

To be honest, not many of us actually believed him when he said that. Not the "We've been done" part, but the "This is the first time I have moaned all year" bit. The "Just because we are Salford" whinge just makes him look foolish.

We'll take his word for it but for future reference, theonepointer's moan-o-meter will be keeping tabs on further outbursts:

Game: Salford 18 - 19 Leeds Rhinos. engage Super League XI, Rnd 17
Date: Friday 16th June 2006
Situation: Salford lose to a last minute drop goal from Danny McGuire. Leeds won a penalty prior to the drop goal and Salford earlier had a try disallowed for crossing.

"It feels like we have been mugged. I am sick to death of it.
"I am sick of my players being done because we are Salford. This is the first time I have moaned all year."

------------------------------

Game: Salford 20 - 24 Hull FC. engage Super League XI, Rnd 20
Date: Saturday 8th July 2006
Situation: The video referee awards a questionable try to Hull winger Gareth Rayner in the dying seconds to give Hull victory. Hull also had another contraversial try awarded by the video referee earlier in the game.

"How long does a player have to be held up for over the line? And Raynor's was certainly not a try either.
"It's the fourth time this year we have been screwed by the video referee and I'm sick to death of it."It's the third time by the same video referee and the situation needs sorting out.
"Raynor dropped the ball over the line and (referees chief) Stuart Cummings needs to talk to the video referees.
"They are amateurs playing with people's livelihoods in a professional environment and I'm totally fed up with it."

Keep looking out for more moans from Mr Karl Harrison.

If The Cap Fits....

After a disasterous start to the season, it was begining to look likely that Wigan Warriors, under the guidance of Brian Noble, had turned their season around.




Six wins from Seven had seen the men from the JJB open a two point gap between them and relegation rivals Wakefield at the foot of the table. For a club that almost created the most remarkable of 'fall from grace' tale of all time, the season was looking somewhat more rosey, albeit still one of disapointment after being touted for great things pre-season.

But despite the endeavours of the players and coaching staff, they forgot one key factor.

The RFL salary cap audit yesterday found Wigan Warriors guilty of a £80,000 overspend on player salarys for the season 2005. As a result, Wigan's future is once again looking precarious, after a two league point deduction has dropped them back into the relegation dogfight. Five other clubs have also been found guilty of breaches. Wakefield, Castleford, Hull and St Helens have all been found guilty of minor breaches, with Wakefield and Castleford being cautioned whilst the Saints and Hull have been fined. Bradford Bulls however have a case to answer regarding a more serious breach, and they may too suffer the same fate as Wigan

For some Rugby League supporters, Wigan's breach might not come as a suprise. Even after Wigan's two-year immunity from the cap ended in 2003, cynics have always been dubious of Maurice Lindsay's alleged 'elasticated' cap and this years antics, which included the £400,000 signing of Stuart Fielden, the "re-signing" of Kris Radlinski and the mid-season captues of Nathan McAvoy and Michael Dobson, have left many already speculating on what punishment Wigan will pick up next season.

Warriors fans in general however may be somewhat more perplexed by this breach, given the poor season Wigan had in 2005 where they missed out on the Super League play-offs for the first time since their inception in 1998 and suffered a record 70-0 defeat at the hands of Leeds, followed the week later by and even more humilating 75-0 cup defeat to St Helens.

The recruitment at the JJB has been often criticised. Lindsay has often brought in the big names from down under, but they have rarely performed. In recent seasons, Aside from the likes of Renouf, Lam and Dallas, the players have not lived up to the high expectations. In 2005, Luke Davico didn't pull on the shirt in a competitive game, SeuSeu's career was ended after it emerged he suffered from Hepatitus B and Moran failed to repeat they try-scoring feats that he showed at London. All of these have been big money signings and it is the injuries that Lindsay cited as the reason for flouting the bye-laws of the game. In the pursuit of just being able to field a team, Liam Botham, Wayne McDonald and Jerome Guisset were all brought in.

Clearly Wigan have been overspending on players that have, purely and simply, failed to perform, be that through injury or poor form. For the more vocal of Warriors fans, Lindsay has to carry the can. His shopping trips to Sydney have arguably landed the club in the current mess, with the likes of Pat Richards and Scott Logan, amongst others, being the target of much criticism.
The fact that Wigan knowingly broke the rules is unforgivable. The powers that be at the JJB Stadium to felt that they could afford to spend more than their share, obviously not believing that they would be in a relegation battle 12 months later. That is just arrogance personified. There's also the irony that Warrior's owner Dave Whelan has been by far the most vocal in championing the use of a salary cap in football.

Many have said that Wigan's absence would be detremental to Super League, but if this is genuinly the kind of attitude that they have, then I won't be shedding a tear should they make the drop to the National League.
The profile of the game may be reduced, but it would to the intergrity of Super League the power of good.

The One Pointer

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