With 20 minutes remaining of a largely forgettable contest, it began to look as if this West Yorkshire derby would become only the second game in the competition’s history to go the distance without a try being scored.
Ultimately, Danny Kirmond’s late try ensured it would not join Salford’s 5-2 win against Harlequins in 2007 on that not-so illustrious list, but the quality – or lack thereof – should not divert from the fact this result represented a season-defining afternoon for both teams.
The Giants, almost certainly in the last-chance saloon regarding their top-eight hopes before this game, produced an attacking display so abject it means that, with an eight-point gap to eighth place and only five games remaining, two of the sides who were vying for top spot in the final round of the season last September – Huddersfield and last year’s champions, Leeds – will be fighting for Super League survival in the qualifiers.
As for Wakefield, their coach, Chris Chester, had previously said one more win would secure a spot in the top eight and although he was not quite as defiant post-match, it is hard to imagine the Wildcats, Super League’s worst side last year by some distance, missing out now. This was undoubtedly a low-quality afternoon for both sides and the Super League as a whole, but Wakefield’s transformation over the past year is a story well worth telling.
“We’ve got another tough game on Friday against Leeds, but results have gone for us over the last couple of weeks,” Chester said.
“Winning that one definitely gets us in the eight, in my opinion – it’s another big game but this was a massive result for us and a massive performance to go with it.”
Chester pointed to the effort and determination of his side as the difference, and in a game with just one try, it is difficult to disagree. Danny Kirmond’s 69th-minute touchdown was ultimately the difference in a dour affair that fittingly rounded off a low-key weekend for the competition.
As had been the case in the weekend’s two televised games before it, there was a lot of dropped ball, with the only points of the first half coming from the boot of Liam Finn to edge Wakefield into a 2-0 lead. His opposite number, the Huddersfield stand-off Danny Brough, levelled matters up with a penalty on 52 minutes and although Finn replied with another penalty three minutes later, it became increasingly clear tries were going to be in short supply. Neither side could produce a game-defining moment that mattered, but when Brough skewed his second attempt to level the game with 14 minutes left, Wakefield finally made them pay.
With Wakefield piling the pressure on the Huddersfield line, a stabbed kick from Finn, far from the best he produced all afternoon, caught the Giants defence cold and Kirmond touched down. A forgettable afternoon without question but when the bell tolls on the regular season next month before the Super 8s, this will be regarded as a hugely significant day for both sides.
Unfortunately, the game ultimately took secondary preference following the news that emerged midway through the contest that the Huddersfield under-19 player, Ronan Costello, remains in a critical condition following an incident during a game against Salford on Saturday. He continues to receive treatment at Leeds General Infirmary after the match was abandoned.
Huddersfield Brierley; McGillvary, Cudjoe, Wardle, Murphy; Brough, Ellis; Rapira, Leeming, Mason, Roberts, Ta’ai, Lawrence. Interchange Crabtree, Hinchcliffe, Wood, Johnson.
Goal Brough.
Wakefield Jowitt; Johnstone, Lyne, Tupou, Jones-Bishop; Miller, Finn; Anderson, Howarth, England, Kirmond, Ashurst, Sio. Interchange Scruton, Arona, Arundel, Annakin.
Try Kirmond. Goals Finn 3.
Referee M Woodhead. Attendance 5,077.
