Leeds Rhinos win Wheelchair Super League Grand Final: report & reaction
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Leeds trailed by 12 points twice and were 22-16 behind at the interval, but a brilliant second half performance saw them add the Betfred Super League title to their fifth successive league leaders’ shield. Josh Butler, who was named Wheels of Steel - the sport’s highest individual accolade - earlier in the week, scored a hat-trick of tries and Nathan Collins landed eight goals from nine attempts, missing only with his first.
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Hide AdCollins also touched down twice in the first half and produced a series of outstanding assists in a dazzling player of the match performance. The scores were level with a quarter of the game remaining, but three tries in five minutes left Panthers shell shocked and ensured it would be Leeds’ day after successive Grand Final losses.
Captain Jodie Boyd-Ward squeezed over at the corner, Butler scored in the next set and then Tom Halliwell dummied through to make it 46-28 with 11 minutes left. Halifax’s French star Jeremy Bourson’s second try of the game gave them a glimmer of hope, but Butler’s hat-trick score meant it was deservedly Rhinos’ day.
Leeds won all their eight league games and their only defeat this year was to Wigan Warriors in a Challenge Cup semi-final. Collins said: “What a great way to finish the season. Going unbeaten in the league and winning the Grand Final, all the hard work we have done paid off in the end.”
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Hide AdOf his individual award, Collins insisted: It’s nice to have the recognition, but I collected it on behalf of the team. They played unbelievably.”
Rhinos made the perfect start with a try after 45 seconds, when Collins got over from Nathan Mulhall’s pass, But their fans at the Allam Sports Centre endured some worrying moments after that as Panthers, who finished second in the league, hit back with three touchdowns in the opening 15 minutes.
Collins’ ball which put Butler over was ruled forward and in the next set Panthers scored through Super League’s young player of the year Rob Hawkins, with player/coach Wayne Boardman converting. Boardman, who was named coach of the year, created the next two tries, with a pass to Joseph Calcott and then a kick for Hawkins who also added the extras to make it 16-4.
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Hide AdHalliwell pulled a try back early in the second quarter, but Bourson’s long-range score, converted by Hawkins, restored the 12-point gap. Crucially, Collins replied before the break and Rhinos were in front eight minutes after it.
Mulhall went over from a pass by Collins who then produced a stunning assist for Butler to score his second. Panthers levelled moments later through a try and goal from Hawkins, off another fine Boardman kick, but Leeds were a class above in the final quarter.
Boyd-Ward’s try was a turning point and she said: “We came with a game plan, we knew we just had to bide our time and that’s what we did . We were patient, we had composure and then we turned the screw.
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Hide Ad“I can’t describe how good it is. I didn’t want to say before the game ‘we are going to win’, but I had faith in every single one of this squad that they were going to give everything they could - and they did. I couldn’t ask for more.”
Coach James Simpson insisted he was never worried, even when his side trailed by 12 points. “This year we have made a point of winning games in the final minutes,” he said.
“We knew there were times when the Grand Final was going to go against us and we might be in a bit of a hole, but the last 20 was when we needed to turn it on and dominate and that’s exactly what we did. The players really stood up, they understood what needed to be done and they did it. They were fantastic, they all deserve it. I love them all and I am so proud of them.”
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Hide AdOf Collins, Simpson enthused: “He’s a unique player, one of the most fantastic players in the world, but you have to unleash him a bit, take the reins off and try not structure him too much. You have to let him play what’s in front of him and when he does, he’s fantastic. I am buzzing for him.”
Leeds Rhinos: Collins, Butler, Mulhall, Halliwell, Boyd-Ward. Subs Wilkinson, Clibbens, Smith.
Halifax Panthers: Boardman, Hawkins, Wright, Calcott, Bourson. Subs Holt, Johnson, O’Neill.
Referee: Ollie Cruickshank.
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