SEVEN days can be a long time, especially in rugby league.
The last week saw the game’s heartlands cop the brunt of not one storm but two as the ‘Beast from the East’ and Storm Emma combined, bringing havoc to the M62.
Two matches – Hull KR v Castleford and Leeds v Catalans – were postponed and two more – St Helens v Salford and Wakefield v Huddersfield – were moved to Sunday.
It is a fair bet that players, officials and journalists are still trying to thaw out after going through the wintry woe of the past few days, but there will be at least two red faces.
But what caught SunSport’s eye this week, with a lot of moves off the field taking place. Here’s six of the best:
WATTS A DOPE
FIRSTLY Liam Watts, this is not a humiliation. This is merely pointing out how daft you were when you decided to put your head against Dom Crosby’s. Furious Hull boss Lee Radford branded the prop’s actions ‘pathetic’ and said he would be out for a while and deservedly so, he faces a three game ban. No question Liam, you crossed the line and deserve a suspension. As to questioning people who say that showed why you are not picked for England, you are good enough no doubt – but international rugby league is mostly played in the mind and brain explosions are exploited.
SNOW JOKE
OK, conditions in Hull were fine to play and the game was played but, should it have been? Warrington’s players had to get three trains to make it and Ben Westwood found his car had been broken into when he returned at 4.15am Saturday. The Rugby League Players’ Association certainly felt it should not have been played, with Garreth Carvell saying: “The least we could have expected was for the players and their representatives to be consulted before this decision to go ahead was taken. We were not and that is disappointing.” Any arguments?
CITY SLICKERS
SO THE Rugby Football League is moving to Manchester City’s Etihad Campus. Now the door to big money sponsors, excellent facilities and, more importantly, expertise is dealing with and using them is open. After meeting Eddie Hearn and his ideas for pushing the game and its players, this is a massive chance to push the game forward. The Etihad Challenge Cup or the Etihad World Club Challenge in Abu Dhabi anyone?
WAKEY WONDERS
SAY WHAT you want but you cannot argue with four wins from four games as Wakefield have achieved. Now the hard work on the pitch really starts, beginning with Sunday’s trip to Wigan. Off it, with them still believed to be waiting for a business plan from the city’s council about what will happen with a renovated stadium, the hard work off it is still ongoing. The players, coaches and chairman Michael Carter deserve better than 4,000 fans watching arguably the best Trinity side in the Super League era but it is a big pointer of where things need to happen.
PATTON THE WHACK
YES, it was overshadowed by Liam Watts’ rush of blood to Dom Crosby’s head but Declan Patton’s high shot on Bureta Faraimo was ref Ben Thaler’s easiest decision. It was a red card all day long. Warrington’s fightback almost belied his stupidity on what was a big chance to impress a new coach in a game situation. Patton has been handed a Grade D charge by disciplinary chiefs and there cannot be many arguments on that.
BLEASE BEST FOR BUSINESS
SO MOVING a chief executive to director of rugby may seem to an outsider as a demotion but Salford’s decision to shift Ian Blease could be the best decision. The one-time Red Devils star used to work as an agent and having responsibility for who comes in and who goes suits him down to the ground. Expect plenty of changes at the AJ Bell Stadium for the 2019 season, mostly done by a man who knows what he is doing.
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