Man of Steel 2013: Brough Takes Giant Step To Crown

                          At a prestigious award ceremony last night, Huddersfield's Danny Brough became the 32nd player to get his hands on British rugby league's biggest prize for individual skill: The Man of Steel. Equivalent to football's PFA Player of the Year Award, it has historically been won by players who have given exceptional performances on a consistent basis. All of the greats of the game have won it, with the Huddersfield man joining the likes of Martin Offiah, Andy Farrell, Paul Sculthorpe and rugby league's most expensive player Sam Tomkins on the honour role. In a three-man shortlist with Wigan's Sean O'Loughlin and Leeds's retiring Jamie Peacock, Brough was amongst good company. In this post, I will be looking at the key moments of Brough's season, and explain why he may have been considered the pick of the three.

                            Brough began the season in fantastic form, pushing the Giants on a phenomenal run of form. The opening game of the season illustrated the Giants' title ambitions, and even expectations, with a resounding 4-40 victory at Langtree Park. Although St Helens may have declined slightly from their glory days of the 2000's, they are by no means a weak team. Brough and his colleagues made them appear quite ordinary. And the form continued, with another impressive win against a fellow title contender, seeing Wigan Warriors off 22-10. Brough was once again the picture of consistency, converting all three tries, and adding two additional penalties, vital points to carry his side to victory. To begin the season with four straight Super League wins would have been more than the Huddersfield fans would have expected, but the scrum-half's performances helped the Giants to an early lead.

                              After a thumping defeat at home to Bradford in the following game, Huddersfield needed to regroup. I have always believed that one indicator of a truly great player is the way they bounce back after a poor performance. Everyone has off days, it is how you react to them that matters most. And how Brough bounced back! A try and four conversions helped his side cruise past fellow title rivals Leeds at Headingley. Arguably one of the wins of the season for the Giants, and one that had come after bitter disappointment, illustrating the squad's strength. This is a pattern that we have seen from the Giants all season, coming back stronger after every defeat, and it was that that kept them in the title shake-up from the very start of the season.

                                 I think most key to Brough's season has been his influence in the big games. That is not to say that he is simply a big game player-in every match you can see elements of his brilliance. However, Huddersfield have performed exceptionally well in big games this season (with the exception of a double defeat by Warrington), and this I think is in no small part down to their exceptional scrum half. His skill and creativity is second to none, and he has proven that he has matured and can perform well under the biggest pressure. Doing the double over Leeds, St Helens and Wigan have helped the Giants to their first league leaders' shield, the first time in 81 years.

                                  If that is the description of Brough's season, what is it that has put him above and beyond his fellow professionals? I think there are a few reasons. Firstly, I think the fact that he has taken a side unfamiliar to sustained success, and turned it into a side fighting for the title, is a key reason. Huddersfield, prior to his arrival in 2010, were a mid-table side, regularly involved in the playoffs, but never in any real danger of winning them. Since that point, we have seen a rather steep incline in the club's performances year-on-year. Last season, Huddersfield had their first real push to win the league leaders' shield, but a lack of form towards the back end of the season scuppered their chances. They have clearly learnt from that experience to pull of the historic feat, and much of that credit must go to their influential scrum half. In comparison, whilst Sean O'Loughlin and Jamie Peacock have both had fantastic seasons, they have not quite had the same transformative impact on their respective clubs. Wigan, highly rated and expected to be in the Grand Final come September, and Leeds, the reigning champions, are not surprisingly in the shake-up. They also have other key players that contribute massively to their success. For Wigan, Josh Charnley, Pat Richards and Sam Tomkins are all integral to the side, and Leeds would severely miss Kevin Sinfield and Lee Burrows. Huddersfield, on the other hand, whilst players like Eorl Crabtree are club legends, they are largely reliant on Brough for performances.

                                     Whilst Brough has been exceptional in the big games, he, unlike the others on that list, has never gone missing this season in the small games either. Whilst his compatriots have performed well, there have certainly been games where they have been less effective. In O'Loughlin's case, his season has been blighted by injury, meaning that he was unable to retain the exceptional form we saw glimpses of during this campaign. However, Brough has fortunately been relatively injury free, and his consistency has clearly had an impact on the rest of the squad, as they have each upped their game massively this campaign. His performance in the big games (Leeds, St Helens, Wigan) have been consistently excellent, but as have his games against the likes of Castleford, London and Widnes. It is for this reason that I believe he deserved his award.

                                       There is one final, smaller, reason why Brough may well have been favoured to O'Loughlin and Peacock. Being Huddersfield's goal-kicker, the scrum half has to deal with tremendous additional pressure, something that neither of his compatriots have ever or will ever experience. Often, Brough's goal kicking can be the difference between the Giants winning or losing rugby matches, from either penalties, conversions, or even the occasional drop goal. Much more rests on the shoulders of the diminutive Scot as the game ticks towards its conclusion than either of his fellow nominees. And time and time again he has come up trumps for his side, deciding matches and earning vital points for his team. Whilst my point above contributes the majority of the case for Brough's victory, this will be just another little point that saw his hands move closer and closer to the award.

                                        Based on these arguments, I believe that the right call has been made for this year's Man of Steel Award. Whilst it would have been nice to see Peacock go to his retirement on top, it would have been similar to giving Ryan Giggs the Sports Personality of the Year Award, presuming he would retire soon after... It is also a shame that Sam Tomkins was not included in the list, as I believe his performances would have been enough to challenge Brough again this year. However, this does nothing to detract from a fabulous season and a deserving award-winner. Danny Brough may have to enjoy it though, as only 3 players have ever gone on to claim the trophy again. Though the scrum half will give it his all to become the fourth, I am certain he will enjoy this success massively.                              

Most consistent of 3-big and small games
Goal kicker-additional pressure

Rugby League’s ‘Magic Weekend’ 2013: Back With A Bang

             Rugby League’s ‘Magic Weekend’, hosted at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium, sees all 14 rugby league giants in action on the same pitch over two days of bone-crunching action. Huge credit must go to the ground staff of the Manchester stadium, as I remember our school rugby pitches after a PE lesson, as it was never a pretty sight! So to have men twice the size, hitting each other twice as hard, for twice as long, must be a gruelling 48 hours without sleep! Once again, the ‘Magic Weekend’ threw up some extraordinary ties, and some fantastically competitive matches, ending with a bang on each days with truly show-stopping games. On Saturday, we had St. Helens vs Warrington Wolves, and to end the weekend, the champions Leeds Rhinos vs the league leaders Wigan Warriors. How can you top that?

 

                The weekend started in fantastic form, with Catalan Dragons beating the London Broncos in the opening fixture. Though the 46-18 final scoreline suggests a thrashing, it was far from it in the first half. Whilst Catalan started strongly, with two quick tries, London quickly regrouped to level the scores just before the break. The second half was a different story, with Catalan half-back Scott Dureau coming back from eye surgery to inspire his team to a resounding second half victory, keeping them in the hunt for the playoffs. A quick turnaround, and the Etihad was ready to grace its second game, Castleford Tigers vs Wakefield Trinity Wildcats. The first derby to be staged at the grand stadium, and the pre-cursor to the Hull derby, Castleford came out of the blocks quickly to establish a 20 point lead by half time, leading 32-12. Their dominance continued into the second period, where, despite an early scare, they finished as comfortable 49-24 victors, handing new boss Daryl Powell his first win.

 

                Next came the Hull derby. In a fiercely competitive match, Hull FC started the brighter, scoring the opening try through Richard Whiting. Hull KR hit back quickly, with two quick scores to lead 10-6 at the break. A second half penalty and an Alex Brown try looked to have settled the game, as KR led by 10 points with only 8 minutes left on the clock. Hull FC fought back, with late tries from Tom Lineham and Kirk Yeaman levelling the scores. Then came the controversy. Hull FC prop Chris Green ran the ball in after KR misjudged the bounce of the ball in the last minute to win the game for FC, despite replays showing he was clearly in an offside decision. The RFL quickly acted, suspending the video referee and stating that a full enquiry would be held into the event. Nevertheless, the game provided us with just the tension and drama we needed going into Saturday’s headliner.

 

                St Helens vs Warrington Wolves, another derby in its own right, started at breakneck speed, with Warrington’s Chris Riley going over in the first minute. Wire soon doubled their advantage, as Ryan Atkins collected a chip to score, but Saints hit back quickly with two tries to move within two points of the Wolves. However, three rapid Warrington tries before half time knocked the stuffing out of St Helens, and gave the Wolves a comfortable cushion going into the break. Early second half tries from Jordan Turner and Lance Hohaia gave Saints hope, but three more tries late into the game from Warrington settled a pulsating tie, and ended an invigorating opening day.

 

                12 hours or so for the ground staff to go to work, before the opening game of today was on: Salford City Reds vs Widnes Vikings. Another intriguing and close encounter, which began with a scoreless first half hour, before Salford’s Lee Gaskell broke the deadlock with a 90 metre try. A quick second soon followed, with Jordan James going over. Widnes responded with two quick tries either side of the break, with Joe Mellor bursting through the Salford line on both occasions. In a game which ebbed and flowed throughout, Salford once again re-established control, through Martin Gleeson’s try. Once again, this would be short-lived, as Mellor claimed his hat-trick of tries to leave the contest tied at 16-16 with 12 minutes to go. With tries being exchanged regularly, Salford’s Theo Fages thought he had won the game for his side, before Kevin Brown cancelled out his try with only 5 minutes remaining. But in the final minute, up popped Jordan James once more, to clinch a thrilling contest in the Reds’ favour.

 

                Huddersfield Giants vs Bradford Bulls followed this encounter, and in a bit of a mismatch, the Giants comfortably saw off a disappointing Bradford side by 42 points to 6. Three tries in the first half ensured that the Giants held a comfortable lead by half time. A lead that was only extended after the break, as Dale Ferguson, Shaun Lunt, Brett Ferres and Anthony Mullaly all went over in the second half, boosting Huddersfield’s title charge. Next was the big one: champions Leeds vs rampant league leaders Wigan. Leeds, prior to the game, boasted a 100% record at ‘Magic Weekends’, whilst Wigan were looking for their 11^th consecutive Super League win. Something had to give.

 

It was Wigan who started the brighter, with last year’s Man Of Steel Sam Tomkins going over to hand the Warriors an early lead. A vicious shoulder charge by Wigan’s Michael McIlorum gave Leeds skipper Kevin Sinfield the chance to reduce the arrears with a penalty, which he duly took. This signalled a change in momentum, as the Rhinos took the lead soon after, as Sinfield touched down after work from Zak Hardaker. Unfortunately for Leeds, their lead only lasted a matter of moments, as journeyman Pat Richards went over in the corner to regain the lead. Whilst Kallum Watkins responded for the Rhinos, a late first half Charnley try left Leeds with some work to do in the second period, trailing 20-12. But it was the Warriors who started the brighter, nearly adding to their lead. Leeds did eventually awaken, with Joe Vickery going over to reduce the deficit. A breathless end to the contest ensued, with the pitch still looking in mint condition, allowing for free-flowing and fast rugby league. Danny McGuire thought he had won it for the champions, but he saw his late try chalked off, leaving the Rhinos too short on time to respond.

 

            A fantastic end to a thrilling weekend of rugby league action. Much has been said about the merits and pitfalls of the ‘Magic Weekend’, but I think it is a fantastic advertisement for the game. To play in a nigh-on 50,000 seater stadium is not a chance many of these rugby league players will have all too often, and as the pitch does not make for a worse game, I see no reason why these weekends should not continue. The drama, controversy and passion are all part of the modern game, and taking that into larger stadiums will only attract more people, which can only be good for the game.