Warrington Wolves 24 Hull KR 22, Super League 2011

Engage Super League round two, Sunday, February 20, 2011

Warrington Wolves...24 Hull Kingston Rovers 22

IT should never have been a game that went all the way.

Brett Hodgson's late try against Hull KR on Sunday should really have been the icing on the cake, not a last-gasp winner.

The amount of chances Wolves wasted during the rest of the game forced them into a corner, creating a tense and frantic final 10 minutes that saw Tony Smith’s men throw everything at the visitors until they finally broke with three minutes remaining.

Take nothing away from Hull KR, they defended magnificently, but the pressure Wolves created in the final moments was too much for most teams to handle.

It reminded me of Manchester United at Old Trafford, with the clock ticking into ‘Fergie’ time and a tired opposition defence soaking up wave after wave of attack until they concede the match-winning goal.

Hodgson’s role as the match-winner was just about enough to redeem him from what had otherwise been an average showing.

His goal-kicking, one of his main strengths, was below his usual very high standards until he placed that final, decisive kick between the posts to win the match.

He was as guilty as any for Wolves’ wastefulness, twice deciding to go for the line himself when he might have been better served passing to players on his outside.

But ultimately his class shone through, picking out a wonderful pass for Chris Riley’s second-half try and, of course, holding his nerve to convert his own try in the final moments.

None of this would have been worthwhile had Joel Monaghan not stopped a Peter Fox break in the final quarter of the game.

Capping off what was an excellent performance in his home debut, Monaghan chased a sprinting Fox back over the halfway line and dragged him down to prevent a potentially match-winning try.

Apart from the impressive turn of speed that Monaghan had to show in order to catch the winger, as Fox is no slouch, it showed a desire to win that might have saved Wolves on Sunday.

How fitting that the two players on their home debuts, the players brought in to complete Wolves’ transformation into a Super League winning side, were the two that ultimately made the difference.

INTERESTING NOTES:

Joel Monaghan and Brett Hodgson both scored tries in their home Super League debuts.

Brett Hodgson missed a conversion for the first time in primrose and blue.

Wolves ended a run of three successive Super League defeats.

Attendance was roughly 1,600 more than against Hull KR at the Halliwell Jones Stadium last year, but was 800 lower than last year's season opener against Harlequins.

TEAMS:

Wolves: Brett Hodgson (1t, 2g); Joel Monaghan (1t), Matty Blythe, Ryan Atkins (1t), Chris Riley (1t); Lee Briers, Richie Myler (1t); Adrian Morley, Michael Monaghan, Garreth Carvell, Ben Westwood, Louis Anderson, David Solomona. Subs: Ben Harrison, Paul Wood, Mickey Higham, Lee Mitchell.

Hull KR: Shaun Briscoe (1t); Peter Fox, Jake Webster, Kris Welham, Liam Colbon; Blake Green (1t), Michael Dobson (3g), Mick Vella, Josh Hodgson, Joel Clinton (2t), Clint Newton, Ben Galea, Scott Murrell. Subs: Liam Watts, Scott Wheeldon, Jason Netherton, Ben Cockayne.

Referee: Thierry Alibert

Scoring: Briers whisks out a pass for Joel Monaghan to cross, 2mins, 4-0; Michael Monaghan beats two defenders as he feeds Richie Myler for a try, 8mins, Hodgson converts, 10-0; Newton pounces on Green grubber kick, 15mins, Dobson converts, 10-6; Green twists out of Hodgson tackle to touch down, 26mins, 10-10; Newton picks up bobbling pass to go over with Myler hanging on, 33mins, Dobson converts, 10-16; Atkins uses his strength to power over in two-man tackle from a scrum, 38mins, 14-16; Webster break paves the way for Briscoe to race home, 45mins, Dobson converts, 14-22; Michael Monaghan uses Atkins as a foil and feeds Hodgson to put Riley over, 59mins, 18-22; Briers sends Hodgson home, 76mins, Hodgson goal, 24-22.

Pens: Wolves 7 Rovers 6

Attendance: 10,899