Warrington Wolves made it through to the Super League Grand Final with a 14-12 victory over Leeds Rhinos, a controversial penalty proving the difference at Headingley Stadium. It marks Warrington's first Grand Final since 2018 and they have never been victors in the big dance before. Leeds, meanwhile, are left waiting once again, with their last Grand Final victory coming all the way back in 2017.
The flashpoint of the match came in the 68th minute when James McDonnell was pinged for an escort on George Williams. It appeared as though Williams had potentially run into the Leeds man's line, but despite the Rhinos using their Captain's Challenge the decision was upheld and Ewan Irwin sent over the conversion to win the game. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Remarkably, with no time remaining on the clock, Jake Connor attempted to send over a penalty for Leeds from 62 metres out to level the game but could not get enough power on it.
The game was level at 12-12 at the break in what was an enthralling contest. Leeds Rhinos had got onto the scoreboard through converted tries from Ryan Hall and Jake Connor, while Warrington had gone over through James Bentley and Luke Yates. Warrington will find out their opponent for the Grand Final on Saturday when Wigan Warriors host Wakefield Trinity, live on Sky Sports, with kick-off at 5.30pm.
The Super League Grand Final then takes place on Saturday October 3, with kick-off at 6pm, live on Sky Sports. The strategies of both teams became clear early on. Leeds, rocked by the losses of backs Lachie Miller, Maika Sivo, Ash Handley and Jack Bird, put their emphasis through the middle, relying on their pack to win the attritional battle.
Meanwhile, Warrington put their focus on an aerial bombardment of Hall at the end of their sets. That paid dividends as early as the fifth minute when Matty Ashton out-jumped the try-scoring legend and found Toby King, who passed in field to Bentley for the former Rhino to open the scoring. But Leeds would hit back 12 minutes later.
Hall would get the better of Ashton this time as the Warrington flier made a defensive misread and slipped, giving Hall the space to score from Brodie Croft's cut-out pass. Warrington wasted a gilt-edged chance soon after, with Albert Hopoate unable to ground a Williams grubber despite having no Leeds defenders around him. The Rhinos punished them within minutes.
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