As well as heralding the start of autumn and the unmistakable colder weather, September is traditionally the time when rugby league players stake serious claims for international spots come the end of the season.
The England squad has always had one or two surprises in the past and before this year’s series against New Zealand, the Huddersfield winger, Jermaine McGillvary, is beginning to make a compelling case for a spot in Steve McNamara’s squad amid exceptionally tough competition.
Household names such as Ryan Hall, Joe Burgess and fresh from his five-try haul at Wembley last week, Tom Briscoe will all provide McNamara with plenty of headaches before his squad selection later this year, but McGillvary is certainly staking a claim for the step-up to international level but The Huddersfield-born winger is now joint-top try scorer in the Super League with Burgess and the Hull winger Tom Lineham after scoring two tries in Huddersfield’s 40-26 win. The result has also strengthened Huddersfield’s grip on a semi-final spot with three games remaining. They are now four points clear of opponents Castleford in fifth and, unlike in previous years where Huddersfield’s form has tailed off when it matters, they seem to be peaking at the right time.
“He’s a world class player, and I’m glad he’s playing for us,” the Huddersfield coach, Paul Anderson, said of McGillvary. “I thought we were average in patches but we did show some brilliance and it’s a vital win which gives us a good four-point gap on Castleford now.”
Castleford’s build-up to the game was dogged by the news that their star winger Justin Carney had been suspended by the club pending an internal investigation and they now find themselves in the awkward position of having to cheer on their local rivals Leeds on Friday to make next weekend’s match against St Helens matter in the race for the top four.
“It was a special effort under the circumstances and I thought 40 points was a bit unjust on us,” admitted the Castleford coach, Daryl Powell, who added that he expects the matter concerning Carney to be resolved soon. “The disciplinary is coming to a point where it’ll be finalised; we’ve moved on and it’s about the players who are on the field and important to us.”
Castleford surged into an early 10-0 lead but after the forward Mike McMeeken was sin-binned for a trip Huddersfield scored four tries in eight minutes to race ahead. McGillvary’s tries were sandwiched either side of scores from Ukuma Ta’ai and Jake Connor before Aaron Murphy scored right on half-time to ensure a commanding lead at the interval.
And although Castleford reduced the deficit courtesy of two superb individual tries from Luke Dorn and the half-back Ben Roberts, Huddersfield responded well to seal the win.
Jamie Ellis crossed against his former club before the forward Eorl Crabtree, celebrating his 400th game with the club, barged over for a rare try to secure the two points.
Denny Solomona, the man entrusted to score Castleford’s tries out wide after Carney’s suspension, did at least register a consolation but their top four hopes are fading fast.
Huddersfield Grix; McGillvary, Cudjoe, Connor, Murphy; Brough,
Ellis; Crabtree, Robinson, Huby, Wardle, Hughes, Ta’ai. Interchange Lawrence, Kopczak, Leeming, Smith.
Tries Ta’ai 2, McGillvary 2, Connor, Murphy, Ellis, Crabtree Goals Brough 2, Ellis 2.
Castleford Dorn; Gibson, McMeeken, Channing, Solomona; Roberts, Gale; Lynch, Milner, Wheeldon, Millington, Moors, Massey. Interchange Cook, Boyle, Springer, McShane.
Tries Gale, Gibson, Dorn, Roberts, Solomona. Goals Gale 3.
Referee R Hicks
. Attendance 5,350
