It is difficult to know which was the more telling factor, in truth. Yes, this was another disappointing and ultimately inept performance from Huddersfield in the play-offs – the nearly-men of Super League have a record of three wins and 15 losses in the post-season games – but Wigan’s defensive grit and clinical performance in attack are also worthy of a mention.
Wigan’s victory means they will finish 2015 unbeaten at home in the league, and of all the performances they have put in at the DW Stadium this year, this one, bizarrely, felt more comfortable than most, despite what was at stake. A third straight appearance at Old Trafford in the Grand Final now awaits them on 10 October after they ensured there would be no repeat of last weekend’s drama of the final round, breezing past a Giants side who again belied their impressive league form to fall short in the play-offs once more.
The spotlight will inevitably fall on Huddersfield’s inability to make the Grand Final again, but this Wigan performance, filled with power up top and speed and slick execution out wide, was on a level the Giants simply could not compete with for the most part. It is undoubtedly one of the biggest mysteries in the game why Huddersfield falter when it matters over and over again, but the harsh reality is that they looked anything like Grand Final winners in the play-offs yet again.
Whether it was the outstanding play of man of the match John Bateman – who looks more and more like an England international as the Test series gets nearer – the livewire Matty Bowen, who looks anything but a 33-year-old at full-back, or even the power up front from the likes of Ben Flower, a man who needed no extra motivation to reach Old Trafford after the events of 12 months ago, Wigan looked a cut above Huddersfield in all areas on a dismal night for the Giants.
Amazingly though, the performance left the Wigan coach Shaun Wane believing his side will have to improve in next Saturday’s decider against either Leeds or St Helens. “We defended really well, apart from the try they scored,” he said. “We didn’t attack all that well; I think we’ll need to be smarter next Saturday but we had a good mentality. I’m a firm believer that the team that wants it most generally gets it – although we’ve still a fair bit to improve on.”
Yet it was to Huddersfield’s credit they only trailed by 10 points at the break given the sheer amount of defending they had to do against an impressive Wigan side, but they fell behind early on when Matty Smith sent Flower charging away under the posts to break the deadlock.
Had the Huddersfield full-back Scott Grix not made a superb tackle on Liam Farrell two minutes later, the Warriors could have easily run away with it in the opening quarter, with yet more impressive last-ditch defending throughout the course of the half keeping them in the contest. That spirited defending forced Wigan to kick for goal when handed another chance to extend the lead after 17 minutes, with Grix’s opposite number Bowen making no mistake for an 8-0 lead.
Unfortunately for Huddersfield their attack wasn’t as sharp as their defending, epitomised by numerous handling errors throughout the first half which cost them dear. Wigan would then make them pay further as half-time approached when the outstanding Bateman touched down in the right corner for Wigan’s second, and although Bowen missed the conversion and Danny Brough responded with a penalty for Huddersfield seconds before half-time, Wigan’s 12-2 lead was no less than they deserved.
That penalty offered nothing more than false hope for Huddersfield though, as they would spurn further opportunities on the Wigan goalline before the home side offered another lesson in how to be clinical. From their first attack of the half, Wigan hurried the ball right and Dom Manfredi touched down to extend Wigan’s lead.
It seemed unfair that it would be a controversial moment that sealed Wigan’s return to Old Trafford given their dominance in proceedings, but the penalty try awarded to Bateman on 55 minutes, after the centre was seemingly tripped by Grix in the act of scoring, proved to be a telling moment.
From there Huddersfield’s race was run, with another penalty from Bowen, after being taken out off the ball, extending the lead. The Giants would at least post a try late on when Brett Ferres barged over, but Wigan would have the final say when Tony Clubb crossed right on the final hooter. Old Trafford awaits for Wigan again, but Huddersfield must regroup and go again in 2016: their tag as the game’s great underachievers will remain for at least another year.
“Wigan were too good for us,” conceded the Huddersfield coach, Paul Anderson. “We never got out of the blocks – we’ve done alright this year, but alright isn’t enough. I’m not happy with coming here and losing again; we’ve been bullied tonight so it’s time to roll our sleeves up in pre-season and make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
Wigan Bowen; Manfredi, Bateman, Gildart, Burgess; Williams, Smith; Crosby, McIlorum, Flower, Tomkins, Farrell, O’Loughlin. Interchange Powell, Clubb, Mossop, Patrick.
Tries Flower, Bateman 2, Manfredi, Clubb Goals Bowen 6 Huddersfield Grix; McGillvary, Cudjoe, Connor, Murphy; Brough, Ellis; Kopczak, Robinson, Huby, Wardle, Hughes, Ferres. Interchange Crabtree, Bailey, Lawrence, Ta’ai.
Tries Ferres Goals Brough 2 Referee B Thaler Attendance 10,035
