Sinfield seals it for Rhinos
Kevin Sinfield kicked a late penalty as Leeds Rhinos beat Warrington Wolves 26-24 to reach the Super League Grand Final.
By Michael Wise
Last Updated: 30/09/11 10:41pm
Leeds Rhinos reached the Super League Grand Final on Friday night after stunning Warrington Wolves with a 26-24 victory at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.
Brian McDermott's side, who became the first to reach Old Trafford after finishing the regular season outside the top three, won a frenetic and hugely entertaining match after captain Kevin Sinfield kicked a penalty with less than two minutes to go.
The game could have gone either way up until that point, with both sides scoring four tries in all and Ryan Hall and Chris Riley each grabbing a brace. In the event, however, the Rhinos caused an upset and will now face either champions Wigan or St Helens a week on Saturday.
Sinfield said before the match that neutralising the anticipated fast start from Warrington would be vital to any Rhinos success. They did just that and indeed drew first blood when Carl Ablett crossed in the fifth minute - converted by Sinfield - after Garreth Carvell conceded a penalty.
The Wolves' defence was nervous early on while, in contrast, Leeds appeared solid - Hall, for example, dealing expertly with a hanging crossfield kick after 10 minutes. Yet the home side started to ratchet up the pressure and were soon to level in similar circumstances: Matt King this time beating the closest Rhinos to the high ball before Simon Grix's offload set up Joel Monaghan.
Chris Bridge converted and Brett Hodgson then signalled that Warrington had recovered from their early jitters by confidently taking a very high ball punted by Sinfield. A strong run by Riley came to nought and they also came close when Ben Westwood burst through in the 27th minute. David Solomona's final pass was, however, adjudged forward.
Pressure
Warrington took the lead after 33 minutes when Riley picked up Michael Monaghan's looping pass and stepped inside his man to score. Bridge again kicked the extras but the Wolves were then forced on to the back foot when Monaghan knocked on. The pressure was eased, though, when Hall threw the ball straight to Bridge.
Zak Hardaker's fruitless run down the right flank in the closing seconds of the half left Leeds 12-6 down at the interval but they started the second half just as they had the first, with Hall intercepting Grix's pass and bursting down the left flank to cross before Sinfield levelled.
The home side, who had also lost Hodgson by this stage - the full-back having limped off in the closing minutes of the first half - could have fallen further behind after Adrian Morley conceded a penalty in the 46th minute penalty, but Danny McGuire's final pass to Hall was forward.
Instead, they found themselves 18-12 up just moments later when, with Sinfield having conceded a penalty in front of Leeds' posts, Michael Monaghan moved the ball left before King used his strength to cross and Bridge added the conversion.
As the hour approached, and with Leeds struggling to break out of their half, Warrington were starting to appear the team most likely. However, Rob Burrow then turned the game on its head - the half-back breaking clear before McGuire set up Hall for his second, with Burrow himself then crossing after being set up by Brent Webb.
Onslaught
Sinfield converted both before he and his team-mates braced themselves for the anticipated onslaught. Forward came the Wolves and they were level once more with 10 minutes to go after Lee Briers put Riley through for his second, with Bridge converting.
Video referee Ian Smith then decided that King had been stopped just short of the Rhinos' line and with Sinfield subsequently missing a long-range penalty, he was faced with a huge call when Hall crossed with five minutes left. The question mark surrounded Burrow and whether or not he had knocked on in the build-up: Smith decided that he had.
In the event it didn't matter. By now, just one point would have sealed victory but Sinfield's attempted drop goal was charged down by Richie Myler. However, referee Steve Ganson decided that Myler was offside and awarded a penalty, with Sinfield making no mistake.