Grand Final

Today sees another appearance of the mighty Leeds Rhinos at Old Trafford and for the second year in a row, we made it from 5th spot. Can we do it again? Who knows!

This time we face Warrington Wolves the team that beat us in the Challenge Cup final back in August. unfortunately it isn’t our normal Grand Final opponents in St Helens, but never mind, a change is as good as a rest.

As usual I am very nervous and feeling terribly pessimistic. Well it’s worked every single time we’ve been to Old Trafford so hopefully it will work this time.

Can’t wait to see the boys following the lead of Sir Kevin Sinfield, who in my eyes has had some of his best games towards the end of this season. That man is a legend and I want to see nothing more that his hands on that trophy and listen to his unbelievable speech at the end of today’s game.

Come on boys….

BELIEVE LEEDS!

So I thought it was about time I voiced my opinion on the Ryan Bailey / Jon Wilkin saga, albeit a little late.  I am a little disappointed that still after all this time that players make the mistake of bringing our brilliant game to the National Press in a negative way.

Now I know people will think that my views are biased due to my allegiance to Leeds Rhinos, but after one of the greatest grand finals there has ever been, the only thing people are talking about is the article in The Sun whereby Jon Wilkin moans about the way that Ryan Bailey celebrated after the win on Saturday.

Part of me understands where he is coming from.  Ryan maybe should have acted slightly better when in front of the St Helen players, as no one likes a show off or a smug winner.  And maybe he should have apologised in the public eye.  But maybe Jon should have thought before he spoke to the press, our game doesn’t need any more negativity from its own players.

How would he have felt if he had won in the way that Leeds did – written off for the whole of the season, winning his 5^th grand final ring, all at the end of his biggest season of his career.  Isn’t the fact that he went to The Sun, not thinking before he acts to. So isn’t he guilty of a similar thing.

I hope it’s not sour grapes and I wish that some of his teammates hadn’t joined in, Jamie Foster in particular.  We can do without this.  They’re comments are too a demonstration of ‘childish’ behaviour.

I think after the season that Ryan has had, it is brilliant news that he has called up for England.  He has been our most improved player this year.  Yeah, I know he’s hated throughout the league by fans from all teams apart from Leeds, however, isn’t all that hate meant to be put aside when they don an England shirt? I’d be the first to admit that I dislike players that play for other clubs, Sam Tomkins being one of them, but if he’s in an England shirt then I would never dream of booing him & I think the majority of fans would think the same, regardless of the minority at the game at Headingley last year.

I guess my overall thoughts on this whole saga are ones of sadness.  It’s a shame when something so good is overshadowed by something so ridiculous.  Let’s just hope it all gets forgotten about in the next few weeks when the two have to be teammates.

OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!

We only bl**dy did it! Leeds Rhinos are the 2011 Engage Super League Champions…from 5th place.

Not many people thought it was possible…I know I didn’t.

We were amazing with Robbie Burrow being the very deserved winner of the Harry Sutherland trophy. His first try being probably one of the greatest individual tries I’ve ever seen!

Sir Kevin Sinfield was again captain fantastic with his lasting comment before lifting the trophy being…”And for the people out there who wrote off and doubted this team, this win is for you!”

He *is* a legend!

Currently I am speechless, tired and a little hoarse but it was totally worth it! I can’t wait to get home & drink to the boys win whilst I watch it all over again

It’s finally here…Grand Final day…Leeds Rhinos vs St Helens on the biggest stage.

It doesn’t get better than this.  This is what we watch rugby for, the big games, the excitement, the day where 80,000 rugby league fans take over one of the most famous football grounds in the world! (& give them something to moan about for the next few weeks when their pitch is chewed up)

I can’t think about what might happen if we win…I’m a pessimist so surely we can’t do it…can we?

One good thing about it is we have nothing to lose, we have got there from 5th, we’ve beaten Saints 3 times in a row, they’re the ones with a point to prove.  So maybe, just maybe I’ll be adding some more posters to my shrine to Leeds Rhinos at work on Monday morning.

BELIEVE LEEDS!

Tomorrow is the day we’ve been waiting for all week. If I’m honest I still can’t really believe we are going.

After the season we’ve had, this really shouldn’t be happening, but thems the rules and we’re definitely playing to them

I heard an amazing quote from a Hull FC fan this week, which made me giggle & also sums up some people’s mentality…”That’s the reason I don’t support Leeds, it becomes too expensive”. Brilliant, but I know what I would prefer. It’s like saying, I only support Hull FC because I know they’ll never win anything. Weird, huh, but everyone’s entitled to their own opinion I guess.

I’m so looking forward to tomorrow. Another first for my converted friend, Mike, who I’m sure wondered what had hit him after last week’s game finished I just hope we can win this time…Wembley was good, but I’m hoping Old Trafford will be better.

We look strong & relaxed according to the information coming out of the club and I guess we have got nothing to lose.  Let’s go out & smash em boys…& continue the song going…’Our grand final b*tc*es’

BELIEVE LEEDS!!!

So today I can start to get excited.  The Leeds Rhinos are back at Old Trafford in 4 sleeps time, however, until today I was having those pre IF form nerves. You’ll know this feeling if you are a season ticket holder that can’t get to the ground to queue for tickets as soon as they go on sale.

‘Did I fill the form in correctly?’

‘Did it get posted?’

This feeling is exacerbated when there is only 7 days in between the play off & the actual final.  But as usual I have nothing but praise for this process.  Thank you, Leeds Rhinos, for making this so easy and relatively stress free, something I am so in need of right now.

So what about the game…which way will it go?  To be honest, I have no idea.  It feels like a relaxed run up which I guess has lots to do with the fact that we have been underdogs all the way through so the pressure is a little bit off.  But it’s St Helens we’re playing and we have beaten them so many times, for which they will want revenge.

I just hope that it is as good as spectacle as I remember.

BELIEVE LEEDS!

Well…WOW! That’s really the only word I can use to describe the game between Warrington Wolves and Leeds Rhinos last night.

What a game!!

The timing couldn’t have been better for us as we were over in Manchester for a Peter Kay gig on Thursday night, making Warrington just a short train journey from us.  The weather was glorious, we had the day off work…could Leeds really get to Old Trafford & make our day even better?

Oh boy, could they! It was one of the greatest games I think I have ever witnessed.  The atmosphere was electric as we had taken so many travelling fans.  We met up with the rest of our party who had made the long trip across the Pennines from Hull after spending an hour or so in The Lord Rodney pub with lots of Warrington Wolves fans.  I love that Rugby League fans can mingle before & after the game, it’s just brilliant.

The team were up for it from start to finish and I think if I’d seen Sir Kevin Sinfield after the game I’d have given him a massive kiss…I love this man, he is nothing but a gentleman of the game & his ‘The jobs not done yet’ comment afterwards just says it all.

Can we do it? Can Brian McDermott really prove us all wrong?  Well, a Challenge Cup & Grand Final appearance in a year where I thought we were going to end up out of the play offs, is enough for me to think…Has he really know what he was doing all along?????

See you all at Old Trafford!!!!!

P.S. I’ve got my fingers tightly crossed that I have filled in my IF form correctly