points clear at the top of Super League with nine games to go, unless they are struck down in a manner that would cause Devon Loch to raise an eyebrow, Castleford
Brooks Reed Womens Jersey Tigers are sure to be hosting a semi-final down Wheldon Road one late September night. Then they will be just one more win from a first Grand Final appearance and two from their first championship title in their 91-year history. Few of their squad know what that feels like, but inspirational half-back Luke Gale is chomping at the bit to taste the glory. “We’ve not been there, we’ve not worn the T-shirt, but I’m looking forward to doing that and leading this team to some silverware,” said the England scrum-half. “We don’t have many players who have been there and done it. I’ve not been in big games myself, but I know I’ll back myself when it comes to the end of the season, and these boys will back themselves, too. When it comes to big games we know what we’ve got to do. We’re footy players: it doesn’t matter if you’ve won 10 Grand Finals or you’ve won zero, we will know what to do when it comes to the end of it.” While full-back Zak Hardaker won three Grand Final with Leeds, Gale admits that a lot of the big-game experience will be handed down from coaching team Daryl Powell and Ryan Sheridan, both former Great Britain half-backs who have been involved in numerous Challenge Cup finals and Grand Finals, as well as captain Michael Shenton, who was usually still involved come October when at St Helens. For months they were the guaranteed entertainers but the Tigers have now shown they can also win the hard way, lifting themselves off the canvas last Thursday to turn a 16-0 half-time deficit at play-off chasing Wakefield into a dramatic 25-24 derby triumph, Gale drop-kicking the winning goal with 99 seconds on the clock. It was the sort of response expected of Leeds, Saints or Wigan in their prime, and it why Cas have gone from exciting underdogs to awesome top dogs this year, a position the effervescent Gale is relishing. Zak Hardaker: 'I am a better player than when I won Man of Steel' Read more “The coach had a fair few words with us at half-time – I’ve not seen him like that before this season – and, after he’d given us a good talking to, we spoke about how good sides, championship sides, come back from this. They’re the wins you remember, the tight ones. We’re under no illusions we have to be better but as long as we can keep learning from tight games we will be in good stead. “When you’re sat top of the league they’re going to come after you and Wakefield did that for the full 80. Wakefield were outstanding and were probably the better team. We speak about it quite often: teams’ motivation against you when you’re on a run, 10 games unbeaten, like
http://www.footballpanthershop.com/Chris_Scott_Jersey_Cheapwe are, and how our motivation needs to go that bit higher. It’s easy to take your foot off the pedal when you’re coasting and keep winning games.” That win put Cas a whopping 12 points clear of Wakefield in fifth. But in between now and the semi-finals, the Tigers face all their challengers for the title at least once, starting next Friday at home to third-placed Salford before the Super 8s, what Gale called going “into the serious business.” Salford are the third surprise package of the season, neck and neck with Leeds – who beat them on Sunday – and Hull, who lost at St Helens on Friday but remain in the final play-off spot. Hull are only a point clear of Wakefield in fifth and still three ahead of Saints and the ominously resurgent Wigan. So is this season pivotal, the year when Super League achieved parity at last, the salary cap finally levelling the field? “It could be,” said Gale, the former Leeds, London and Bradford playmaker, in the prime of his career at 29. “The so-called big teams – Wigan, Leeds – will come firing when it’s the business end. But we’ve been building a good team here for four years now, since I’ve been here – in fact, since the year before I came. Powelly’s done a great job. It’s strange that the big teams aren’t there but it’s probably
Chris Harris Jr Youth Jersey good for rugby league. It proves you can’t rest on your laurels, you’ve got to keep working hard and keep it fresh. “We’re not massive names and not superstars. We’ve not got the massive Aussie signings or whatever. We’re just hard-working lads and that’s what gets us where we are. We’re happy to be the new kids on the block and happy to be out in front. They’ve got to come and chase us now. We are serious contendersA couple of minutes after the final whistle on Thursday night, with their team-mates and fans celebrating or despairing, a group of players from both sides embraced and descended into a circle to pray. With so many Pacific Islanders among them, Wakefield and Castleford have a strong Christian contingent, which pays its dues to the Almighty even after such an extraordinarily tight game. Wakefield’s management team make no secret of the fact they are basing their development plans on what Cas have achieved over the past four years and it is reflected in the two squads. Each has a sprinkling of antipodeans, nearly all low-profile signings in their mid to late 20s, with some NRL experience but relatively low market value when they arrived in Europe. Cas centre Jake Webster – that rare Victorian (as in he’s from Melbourne, despite being capped by the Kiwis) is playing as well as ever at 33, while New Zealander second row Jesse Sene-Lefao has gone from Newtown Jet to Super League star in a few months. For Trinity, Tonga prop David Fifita looks like he is enjoying the local cuisine but is devastating close to the line and Cook Islander Tinirau Arona is a granite hammer. As we have seen with
http://www.jetsofficialsonline.com/Calvin_Pryor_Jersey_CheapDenny Solomona, underpaid talent can soon be exploited by other clubs and codes. No wonder both Cas and Trinity are trying to have their imports under contract for next season ASAP
