WARRINGTON Wolves suffered last minute heart break as they went down 24-22 at reigning Super League Champions Leeds.
The Wolves were leading 22-18 with two minutes left on the clock when Garreth Carvell knocked on in his own half giving Leeds the chance to snatch a dramatic victory, as winger Scott Donald went in at the corner and then Kevin Sinfield landed a towering touchline conversion to break Warrington’s hearts.
The Wolves suffered a double blow with winger Brian Carney suffering a broken arm and Simon Grix leaving the field with a shoulder injury.
Carney will now join Micky Higham and Paul Wood on the sidelines for next Saturday’s Challenge Cup semi-final clash with Wigan at Widnes.
It took just three minutes for Warrington to take the lead, full-back Richie Mathers racing over against his former club with Bridge adding the extras.The try was created by Monaghan who put Westwood through a gap, with Mathers joining the line to race clear.
But five minutes later Mathers allowed his former team mates back into the game when he fumbled a grubber kick behind the try line allowing Ryan Hall to get his fingers to the ball. Kevin Sinfield was wide with the conversion.
On 17 minutes a jinking run from the lively Monaghan opened up the way for Vinnie Anderson to go over with Bridge adding the extras to make it 4-12 to the Wolves. But as Warrington celebrated Carney was being led from the field with a broken arm following a challenge on Ablett.
From the re-start Chris Hicks knocked on putting the Wolves under immediate pressure and as they attempted to defend their second set of six Donald went in at the corner after a clever kick by Danny Maguire. Sinfield was again wide leaving the Wolves in front at 8-12.
On 25 minutes Leeds had a try rubbed out by the video ref after Lee Smith was adjudged to have fouled Grix as he jumped for a high ball.
Then three minutes later Ben Harrison had what looked like a perfectly good try ruled out after Jon Clarke was ruled to have caused an obstruction.
With the Wolves edging it 8-12 at the break they suffered their second injury set back as Grix was led from the field with a shoulder injury.
But then on 49 minutes Warrington extended their lead as Louis Anderson was put through by Clarke with Bridge adding the extras to make it 8-18.
On the hour Maguire brought Leeds back into the game with a finger tip try, converted by Sinfield and five minutes later the scores were level as Johnson missed a tackle on Lee Smith who was able to touchdown. Sinfield was wide with the conversion making it 18-18.
An attempted Briers drop goal was charged down giving the Wolves another set of six and from the resulting play Ben Cooper thought he had sealed a famous victory when he was put through by Bridge with just five minutes left on the clock. It was his first Super League try in three years!
Bridge, who had a 100 per cent goal kicking record sliced the conversion wide.
From the re-start Warrington were immediately put under pressure when Carvell, who had a massive game in the pack, knocked on. From the resulting play Donald scampered in at the corner and then Sinfield, who had only managed one kick all night, held his nerve to land a touchline conversion to break Warrington’s hearts.
The Wolves must now pull together and re-build for their biggest game of the season when they take on Wigan in the Challenge Cup semi-final at Widnes.
Leeds:Ablett, Burgess, Burrow, Diskin, Donald, Hall, Jones-Buchanan, Lauitiiti, Leuluai, McGuire, Manning, Peacock, Senior, Sinfield, Smith, Worrall, Webb
Wolves: Mathers, Hicks, Johnson, Bridge, Carney, Grix, Briers, Monaghan, Carvell, Westwood, Harrison, L Anderson. Subs: Clarke, Cooper, Mitchell, V Anderson.
Atten: 13,300
