WARRINGTON Wolves missed out on a return to Old Trafford and the Grand Final as they were beaten 10-8 at Hull KR.
Trailing 10-0 at half time to a controversial try, the Wolves fought back in the second half and piled on the pressure, but couldn’t find enough to turn things round in the play-off semi-final.
The post-match debate will inevitably be about Hull KR’s second try, awarded by the video referee after being sent upstairs as a try by Liam Moore, who surely could have had no sight of the ball hitting the whitewash as Joe Burgess burrowed over from dummy half.
With no conclusive evidence to overturn the on-field referee’s decision, the video referee felt he could only award the try and that proved decisive in the end.
In front of a sell out crowd at Craven Park, it was a cagey affair.
It took 17 minutes for the first points, Rodrick Tai penalised for obstruction on a kick, and from the resulting set, James Batchelor found his way over the line on the right despite attention from Josh Drinkwater and Toby King.
Time at the other end was at a premium for Warrington and when they did get in to the Hull KR 20 metres, they wasted opportunities with Drinkwater and George Williams both kicking dead in goal.
They did think they had scored shortly after the half hour mark through Matt Dufty, his weaving run taking him over on the left, but the comfortable nature of it was perhaps as a result of a lead runner obstruction called by referee Moore.
The game’s biggest talking point came four minutes from the break, Burgess crawling his way over under the attention of three defenders, and the referee had a good look at things on the ground before referring upstairs, and crucially awarding the try.
None of the replays showed the ball touching the line, but ultimately the ball wasn’t visible at all, meaning no way of the video referee Jack Smith judging that it wasn’t a try.
That gave Hull KR a 10-0 cushion and though they started the second half with fire, the second 40 belonged to Warrington.
They gradually worked their way in to the game and gained a foothold when after King’s break and quick play the ball, Matty Ashton took advantage of an invite to the line from dummy half.
Josh Thewlis missed a kickable conversion and the scoreline was 10-4.
Only an ankle tap by Burgess denied Ashton soon after, with two in support on Ashton’s inside, as Warrington looked threatening every time they moved the ball left.
And that’s where they scored their second try on the hour mark, again through Ashton, this time squeezing in at the corner in trademark fashion.
Hull KR rallied briefly and threatened to kill the game off at 10-8, but soon they were nervously defending their own line as they sought to seal a first ever Grand Final.
Warrington tried to find space on the left once again, but couldn’t find the key to unlock the door, and Sam Burgess’ first season in charge ended just short of a second final.
Hull KR: Evalds, Burgess, Hiku, Broadbent, Hall, May, Lewis, Sue, Parcell, Whitbread, Storton, Batchelor, Hadley. Subs: Litten, Luckley, Tanginoa, Brown.
Warrington: Dufty, Thewlis, King, Tai, Ashton, Williams, Drinkwater, Harrison, Walker, Yates, Nicholson, Bateman, Currie. Subs: Powell, Crowther, Vaughan, Philbin.
