ESL Round 17
Friday game review

Wigan 24 - Hull 28

Richie Barnett inspired gallant Hull as they held out for a tremendous victory by 28-24 over Wigan in their engage Super League clash at the JJB Stadium on Friday night.

Missing several first-team players through injury, John Kear?s men had to deal with losing two further players during the game as they slugged it out with the Warriors in an entertaining clash.

Two-try Barnett was the hero, although Danny Brough and Paul Cooke were equally pivotal in the win.

Wigan, who slipped to a second successive home defeat, were the most dominant side throughout but failed to make the most of the possession.

Wigan coach Ian Millward handed a debut to new signing Liam Botham, and there was also a first club appearance for 18-year-old Chris Ashton.

Barnett, on the wing due to Gareth Raynor?s ankle injury, was only making his second start of the year but took full advantage of his rare opportunity.

In a first half during which Hull hooker Brough?s kicking game ran the home defence ragged, the visitors were able to overcome a Moran brace to take a slender half-time lead.

Former Wigan full-back Shaun Briscoe opened the scoring for the visitors in the fifth minute.

After Cooke had sent Kirk Yeaman bursting into a gap, Briscoe was on hand to provide support and collected Yeaman?s pass to score to the left of the posts. Cooke goaled to hand the visitors a dream start.

However, the scores were level after Graeme Horne limped out of the action for Hull, with Tom Saxton out of the defensive line with an arm injury.

Danny Tickle sent Brett Dallas into the hole vacated by Saxton and after the winger had drew Briscoe he was able to feed the supporting Moran who cantered in to score. Tickle added the extras.

Cooke and Kirk Dixon had combined to send Barnett in for a score in the corner, then Moran?s mistake then led to Hull registering their third try.

After Brough?s kick was allowed to bounce, Nathan Blacklock dragged Danny Orr in touch to hand Hull another set of six, which they made no mistake in converting. Ewan Dowes offloaded in the tackle to find Cooke and his ball allowed Yeaman to power over the line.

Cooke and then Brough failed to convert and Hull were made to pay just before half-time.

After referee Ronnie Laughton judged that Brough had knocked on, Wigan made no mistake in taking advantage when Moran skipped past the tackle of Stephen Kearney for his second try. Tickle?s goal meant Hull went in 14-12 ahead at the break.

Hull added their fourth try of the night shortly after the break. After Kevin Brown?s failed intercept handed Hull another set, Cooke and Briscoe combined to send Barnett in at the corner for his second try. Cooke?s tremendous goal from the touchline re-opened an eight-point lead at 12-20.

Brough then added an extra two after a high tackle from Jerome Guisset on Saxton handed Hull a penalty.

Their joy did not last long though as Wigan came storming back on the hour mark. Paul King offloaded needlessly in the tackle to gift the Warriors possession and, after Terry Newton drove them downfield, Tickle was allowed to barge his way over the line. His goal brought the scores back to 22-18.

With Cooke and Carney sin-binned for a brawl, defences became even more stretched and Wigan posted four straight sets of six without taking advantage as tempers became frayed.

Wigan piled forward in pursuit of a leveller but were dealt a sucker punch when Yeaman scored a sensational second to secure the win for Hull. Youngster Danny Washbrook placed a kick into the corner and after Barnett outpaced Moran to reach the ball, he kicked on for Yeaman to dive on the ball.

Brough appeared to have clinched things but Wigan ensured a tense finish when Joel Tomkins powered his way over. Ultimately, Tickle?s conversion proved a mere consolation.

Wigan 24. Tries: Moran 2, Tickle, Tomkins. Goals: Tickle 4.

Hull 28. Tries: Briscoe, Barnett 2, Yeaman 2. Goals: Cooke 2, Brough 2.

Wigan: Moran, Carney, Aspinwall, Wild, Dallas, Brown, Orr, Seu Seu, Newton, Guisset, Hansen, Tickle, Botham. Replacements: Godwin, Hargreaves, Tomkins, Ashton.

Hull: Briscoe, Barnett, Saxton, Yeaman, Blacklock, Cooke, R. Horne, Dowes, Brough, King, G. Horne, Kearney, McMenemy. Replacements: Dixon, Washbrook, Carvell, Thackray.

Referee: R Lawton (Barnsley)

Att: 12,125 _________________________ Wakefield 6 - Leeds 70

Leeds substitute Ali Lauitiiti claimed a remarkable five-try haul as the Rhinos erased the pain of their humiliating defeat to Wakefield earlier this season with a crushing victory by 70-6.

The former New Zealand Warriors forward entered the fray as a first-half replacement and produced a five-star masterclass in clinical finishing to help the Rhinos to their biggest ever win against the Wildcats.

After claiming a first-half effort, the 25-year-old notched four tries in 11 minutes during an astonishing spell early in the second half, and became one of only eight players to score five tries in a Super League match.

Shane McNally?s side had brought the reigning champions? 20-match unbeaten run in the engage Super League to an abrupt halt with a shock 44-28 win at Headingley on Easter Monday.

But the Rhinos avenged that setback with interest by running in a total of 13 tries at a packed Atlantic Solutions Stadium to tighten their grip on the league leadership.

And in doing so they plunged Wakefield deeper into relegation trouble, inflicting the Wildcats? seventh defeat in nine games since their success at Leeds on March 28.

Last week?s victory against Salford ended a run of four successive defeats, but this morale-sapping reverse leaves Wakefield firmly entrenched in a dogfight.

Both sides were unchanged from their respective victories last week and Leeds, fresh from their emphatic 34-14 victory against Hull, assumed early control with a try after just five minutes.

Former Wakefield skipper Gareth Ellis, making his first return to his old club since making the switch last December, was the architect of the try.

Powerful go-forward by the loose forward, who was excellent throughout, culminated in the ball being worked out to full-back Richard Mathers, and he crossed the line from close range.

And although Wakefield got off the mark after 15 minutes courtesy of a Jamie Rooney penalty, Leeds quickly claimed their second try when Marcus Bai finished off a flowing move in the left-hand corner.

Wakefield stunned Leeds shortly before the half-hour mark when Ben Jeffries? teasing grubber kick deflected off Keith Senior before being pounced on by Rooney for a try which he failed to convert.

Senior soon made amends, however, with his 16th Super League try of the season, grounding the ball in the left-hand corner after superbly anticipating Danny McGuire?s clever grubber.

Lauitiiti?s powerful solo effort and a touchdown from Willie Poching shortly before the half-time hooter all but sealed the points for the Rhinos.

And three minutes after the restart, they extended their advantage with a close-range try from in-form scrum half Rob Burrow.

It was the 16th Super League try of the season for the smallest player in the competition, who this week signed a five-year contract that will keep him at Headingley until 2010.

Mathers grabbed his second five minutes later, finishing off a bewildering passage of inter-passing in the left-hand corner, as the Rhinos began to run riot.

Lauitiiti registered his second try from the same position after 51 minutes before claiming his hat-trick soon after from McGuire?s offload.

Astonishingly, the Kiwi grabbed his fourth shortly before the hour mark and then bustled over again for his fifth.

Barrie McDermott heaped further misery on the Wildcats before Ellis rubbed salt in the wounds after taking Lauitiiti?s neat offload, while skipper Kevin Sinfield converted six and Burrow three of the Rhinos? 13 tries.

Wakefield (6) 6. Tries: Rooney. Goals: Rooney.

Leeds (28) 70. Tries: Mathers 2, Bai, Senior, Lauitiiti 5, Poching, Burrow, McDermott, Ellis. Goals: Sinfield 6, Burrow 3.

Wakefield: M. Field, Halpenny, Demetriou, Domic, Tadulala, Rooney, Jeffries, Griffin, March, Feather, Solomona, Snitch, Spicer. Replacements: Korkidas, J. Field, Obst, MacGillivray.

Leeds: Mathers, Calderwood, Walker, Senior, Bai, Sinfield, Burrow, Bailey, Dunemann, Ward, Jones-Buchanan, McKenna, Ellis. Replacements: McGuire, Poching, Lauitiiti, McDermott.

Referee: Karl Kirkpatrick (Warrington)

Att: 9,457 _____________________________ St Helens 33 - Salford 22

Australian centre Jamie Lyon claimed a hat-trick as St Helens survived a scare to overcome battling Salford by 33-22.

The Reds threatened an engage Super League shock at The Willows as they controlled most of the game and led with 20 minutes to play.

Salford dominated the opening stages and got their just reward when stand-off Tim Hartley polished off fine work from scrum-half Luke Robinson to open the scoring on nine minutes.

Chris Charles added the conversion to give the Reds a deserved 6-0 lead.

Saints hit back though on 15 minutes when on-form threequarter Lyon dummied and drove his way past several tackles for a fine solo try.

Sean Long converted to level it but Salford were soon back in front. A rare handling error from Great Britain full-back Paul Wellens saw Stuart Littler cash in on Robinson's clever kick and Charles again converted.

But on 27 minutes it was all square again after Long put second row man Jon Wilkin in for a converted try from close range.

Yet Hartley hit back for Salford just before the break with a superb try to give Reds a deserved lead at the break following fine work from Sean Rutgerson.

Charles then crashed over to extend the Reds? lead nine minutes after the restart and Saints remained 22-16 up going into the final quarter.

At this stage Saints looked down and out but two superb tries from Lyon ? the second a solo 60-metre effort ? and a further try from Wellens put Saints in front for the first time.

A Long drop goal followed by a superb try from the Saints scrum-half pushed the game beyond the Reds? reach.

Salford: Hodgson, Stewart, Littler, Beverley, Langi, Hartley, Robinson, Rutgerson, Alker, Baldwin, McAvoy, Shipway, Charles. Replacements: Haggerty, Jonkers, Clough, Stringer.

St Helens: Wellens, Hardman, Lyon, Talau, Gardner, Hooper, Long, P. Anderson, Cunningham, Mason, Gilmour, Wilkin, V. Anderson. Replacements: Roby, Graham, Fa?asavalu, Edmondson.

Salford (18) 22. Tries: Hartley 2, Littler, Charles. Goals: Charles 3.

St Helens (12) 33. Tries: Lyon 3, Wilkin, Wellens, Long. Goals: Long 4. Drop Goals: Long.

Referee: Ian Smith (Oldham)

Att: 4,702

Thanks to www.superleague.co.uk for another great article.