XIII Oceans

We’ve arrived at the magic number.  My first ever Challenge Cup Final was the 1978 date in which the late John Holmes sent his side home as I sat on the ledge between the upper and lower terraces in the Leeds end.  The family at the bottom of the upper terrace were Leeds fans and very kindly let me sit in front of them.  I have few recollections of the game itself other than the drop goals and my dad’s reaction.  At half-time the banter was in good spirits, replaced by a feeling of loss which had emanated from my dad.  It was a day without meaning for a six year old Saints fan but the memories of the feelings and atmosphere have never left.  Facing a trip to Old Trafford for a possible third loss at the hands of British rugby league’s new glamour club has presented many an issue for Saints fans.  Over the past twelve months I have witnessed, formerly avid Saints fans, throw off the chains of success and bemoan it to the point that some are not even attending this year’s Grand Final.  Many Saints fans are bored of success and as we now stand on the precipice of doom with no silverware to follow for many a year I question why they are not here to celebrate the club’s last chance of a trophy for, well until next year.

This season has now unwound.  Leeds have not given us a year similar to previous years and neither have Saints.  Purposeful or not, both teams appear set for trying to climax on Saturday.  It is mutual masturbation, with erotica replaced by a desire for perfect timing.  Like in the era before the internet when you used to express yourself, trying to time your tender moment when the right inspiration was on screen.  Mis-time it and you’ve switched from Harriet Makepeace’s folded arms look to Dempsey slaughtering the screen with his usual ham harvest. Timing is everything.  Have we been fortunate enough to be in this position before?  In the earlier years of the Grand Final it was commonplace to see the two finalists be at similar levels with a couple of exceptions when teams had blown themselves out just trying to qualify e.g. Wigan.  Does this year’s Grand Final present us with one of our most evenly-matched?  The predictors don’t think so.  We’re in for an unprecedented third consecutive championship winning season for Brian McClennan’s side and who can argue with that?

There are a few critical factors which the RL watching public have picked up upon in the build up to this match.  The strength of the defences, the pressure and Saints’ current capability around putting points on the board.  Starting with the latter, there is evidence to suggest Saints are struggling in that department, not having rattled up more than fifteen points since the trip to Harlequins RL in July.  There has definitely been a loss of chemistry with the ball compensated for by some stirling defensive efforts.  Compare this with Leeds who gave us some show-stopping action against Catalans in that game winning spell before half time.  There is little comparison.  It would be dangerous to jump to such a conclusion with Saints and it is something that I imagine their most aware fans will be wary of.  It is though a clear edge in form for the champions in this area.

Defensively it is not so clear.  Both teams can rely on strong efforts in this area.  Is there a difference?  Maybe where the difference between the two lies is in their ability to handle their opposition.  Saints may not be clicking and threatening out wide but they are inside.  Since the start of the year Potter has had his side barging up the middle with good success, much to the chagrin of some of the Saints mentalists.  In the head-to-head games against each other I think Saints have won this game on the basis of their defence has been stronger in winning the forward battle.  This is partly of course due to a less effective yardage making front set for Leeds.  It is also another dangerous game to ignore the wide threats of Lauititi and JJB.  The big Kiwi could prove to be a critical factor in the final outcome (33/1 for the Harry Sunderland).  There is an edge though but I’m not convinced its the kind of edge which influences you enough to look at winning margins for Saints because whatever Saints gain with the slowing of the PTB down, it is little when offset against Leeds’ first rate tackle grounding game.

And the final piece of this breakdown is the pressure.  Saints fans will have you believe the pressure is off them and the team.  It isn’t.  Losing for a third year in a row may send Saints into a downward mental spiral for future finals.  Losing so often to Saints harmed the Bulls only in losing face.  Bradford responded excellently in disposing of other opponents and the Saints legacy is a wrong they wish to correct in the same way Saints wish to do the same on Saturday.  Leeds are favourites and favourites with good cause.  Favourites can be a weighty tag.  It can also be a weighty advantage if you get on top quickly with some tries.  Everybody knows this.  It is down to Saints to prevent themselves getting put in that position.  If the game gets away from Saints before the interval it may already be lost so pressure may play a bigger part than anyone would like it to.

We want a game for the ages.  Each match between the two this year has been a cut above anything else we’ve seen in Super League.  I am not decrying the tremendous efforts we have seen across the competition this year because there has been some great confrontations in Super League XIV.  However, we are being flippant if we ignore how well these two have clashed over the years, going all the way back to my childhood and beyond.  A respect between the two has grown and grown to become a truly fierce rivalry for the ages akin to others in my lifetime.  I want a classic and I believe we will get all the drama and thrills which a classic demands.  A close encounter between two closely match bulks of beef. Big hits in great supply.  Hard runs garnering applause and Francis Meli.  It is time for Leeds to test Super League’s excitement machine and see if their stronger kicking game forces Saints into that mindblowing internal pressure.  Enjoy the game everybody.  Leeds by 6.

For those of you that have read this far and read along with me over the course of the year I would like to thank you for taking the time out of your busy lives to receive my thoughts.  There are many great sporting blogs out there and I hope that I’ve been able to provide you with something interesting and thoughtful.  After all, which other sporting blogs reference Neil Sedaka with Leeds’ effectiveness at bringing the tackler down and when do you ever see Noam Chomsky, Oscar-nominated shorts or the Foreman-Lyle heavyweight epic sit alongside the greatest game?  If you follow my links I hope you enjoy them as much as I have enjoyed sourcing them.  Usually, if you haven’t realised already, I’ll try and find a way of shoehorning in something I like and tailor my waffle around it.  I love this game.

Power to the peaceful.