Poll

Barrie McDermott - Carnegie Ambassador

Uncompromising' Giants to triumph at Wembley - McDermott

 

Carnegie Ambassador Barrie McDermott previews Saturday's Carnegie Challenge Cup Final, Huddersfield Giants v Warrington Wolves

 

In your opinion what makes a great Cup final?

For me, the essential ingredient for a great Cup final is that there are two well-balanced and evenly-matched sides taking part.  We've certainly got that with Huddersfield v Warrington this Saturday at Wembley.  The Giants' strength is in their defence and line speed; their control in - and after - collision is without doubt the best in this competition.  They are the team that works the hardest without the ball.  Warrington are a team coached by one of the deepest thinkers in the game, Tony Smith.  He certainly will have looked at the strengths and weaknesses of Huddersfield and will feel confident that his side will be able to work on the weaknesses.

Both sides are very good as units, but each also contains a couple of mavericks that could prove to be the difference on the day.  Warrington's Lee Briers is a player who has been a real threat for years, whereas Brett Hodgson has the knowledge and skill to unlock any defence.

 

What's the best Cup final you've ever watched or played in?

If I had to choose and look at my own Carnegie Challenge Cup experiences then the 1999 Final will always stand out.  Leeds beat London Broncos convincingly that day having overcome tough games along the way against Wigan, Saints and Bradford and it's a day that will live long in the memory.

The best final I've ever watched took place a year before Leeds Rhinos triumphed in 1999 when Sheffield Eagles stunned Wigan at Wembley, a win that came against all the odds. Wigan were coming towards the end of their dominance but no one expected the Eagles to make the final, let alone win it.  Wigan must have gone into the game thinking that it was a mere formality, but Sheffield under John Kear turned up as a no-name side and gave it absolutely 110 per cent, proving that victory is possible in any situation if a team works hard enough.

 

What does it mean to players to step out on the hallowed Wembley turf?

Everyone in the modern game looks at Wembley as the spiritual home of rugby league.  The Grand Final at Old Trafford is a fantastic end of the season finale where everything works to a crescendo and is still every modern player's ambition to play in. The history and heritage of the Challenge Cup is something different though, and as a player it means you can join a list of players including Alex Murphy, Ellery Hanley, Lewis Jones, Brian Bevan and other all time greats.

To be a Lance Todd Trophy winner at Wembley is every player's dream.  Wembley is a place where people's careers are made and broken. It brings out the best in some players and the worst in others.  The stadium itself is extremely demanding as the atmosphere is so loud and there is so much at stake.  Some players rise to that challenge and have the best experience of their lives.  Others can feel the weight of expectancy and melt like a block of ice and never forgive themselves.  In most rugby league grounds the crowd are on you within 10 metres of the playing surface.  At Wembley it's completely different and the noise is incredible - you hear a choir of voices rather than individual brickbats and bouquets.

 

As a player how do you deal with nerves on Cup final day?

The whole preparation and week leading up to the Challenge Cup final is in itself a draining experience.  As a player, on the day of the game you are ready just to get on with the match.  A lot of the week before can be taken up with club functions, speaking to the media and well wishers, sorting tickets out for family and if you are lucky enough to be a local lad, you can't escape the excitement of bringing the Cup home for your town.

At Warrington I can imagine that a lot of the players have been gathering around Adrian Morley who really has won it all - Super League, NRL and the Challenge Cup.  At the Giants players will listen to senior professionals such as Brett Hodgson and Steven Wild who have big game experience.  The younger players will try to calm themselves down with those senior players and their serenity.

Both of these sides are largely made up of players who have never tasted a Wembley Cup final occasion before.  Huddersfield were in the final at Twickenham three years ago though and will be half a step ahead.  For Warrington, this is their first final since 1990 when they lost out to Wigan but they have players such as Morley, Carvell and Johnson who have played before in Challenge Cup finals. 

 

Do you have, or know of any, strange pre-Cup final match rituals?

As a player I was lucky enough to play in Challenge Cup finals, Grand Finals and many top games and competitions.  I've always believed that each player's preparation is and should be very individual.  As a player you have a very private pre-match ritual: in the Leeds changing rooms Darren Fleary used to kneel down and say a prayer and had figures that represented people special in his life that he would kiss. This would enable him to feel focused and prepared.  On the other hand Iestyn Harris wouldn't get dressed until five minutes before warm up and would have an incredibly relaxed approach to his preparations.

No player wants to tread on his teammates' toes and it's the job of all the backroom staff to make sure that all the players under their care are in the right frame of mind for the match.

 

Does recent form come into this game at all?

Form can play a part in games like these, but with it being such a tight turnaround between the semi-finals and the final, both teams have adopted different approaches to their rest period and some players have been given a break. The Warrington team that played against Wakefield will be, in my opinion, near enough the team that will step out at Wembley.  Huddersfield, on the other hand, put a hell of a lot of effort into the semi-final and some players have needed to rest to enable them to perform at their full potential this weekend. I feel desperately sorry for Danny Kirmond who already missed a lot of this season and now has been ruled of this showpiece final with a knee ligament injury.  He's an exceptional player and a great talent for the future and I'm sure he'll be back at Wembley soon contesting another final.

 

How can you separate the two teams - they look so evenly matched on paper?

These two teams may only have one thing to play for this year, neither are guaranteed a place in the Grand Final and this game will be viewed as the making and breaking of their season.  I'm envisioning a fantastic final that will be contested right up to the death.  It really could be down to the team whose players execute their game plan to the letter or the maverick who comes up with that decisive magic play.

Big games are won or lost on the little pieces of the jigsaw puzzle.  Big plays rarely win a game, but sometimes players that dare to do something a bit different can triumph.

Nathan Brown, who I think should win coach of the year, has given his players clear, well-defined instructions to break down nearly every side in the Super League this season.  What he'll look at in this game is anyone's guess.  Warrington's strength is in the forwards and with Morley, Gareth Carvell, Ben Harrison and the Anderson brothers, Louis and Vinnie in the middle, they really are top class.  Michael Monaghan has done a fantastic job at hooker this season by committing the opposition's tight defenders and putting his big men through some holes.

The Huddersfield defensive line is very compressed and there may not be as much joy for the Warrington forwards in this match as they enjoyed in other games this year.  It could come down to a Richie Mathers break or a long-range Riley try.

The Giants' game plan, on the other hand, may be to expose someone like Riley or make Briers defend too much.  They might look to play a really simple game, with very low-risk plays and try to get through the game without making mistakes and pressuring Warrington near their own line.  It could just be a case of both teams sitting tight and playing expansive rugby on the wide Wembley pitch.  Or, as we've seen so many times before, it could be that once the teams kick off, both sets of players ignore everything their coaches have said to them and play like it's the last game they are ever going to play.  Big games can do that to players and are won and lost on emotion.  One player might stick to instructions, whilst another might do something they've not even practised on the training pitch.

 

What do you see as the key battles on Saturday?

The key confrontation on Saturday will be between Warrington's forwards and Huddersfield's tight defence.  Warrington are packed with world class players whereas the Giants play very well collectively without being individual superstars.  The coach has got Warrington playing to a very set structure and process, which means that their strength now also comes in their commitment.

 

Who's going to triumph in this epic Final?

I believe that Huddersfield will be able to play the conditions and emotions a little better than Warrington and will be crowned Carnegie Challenge Cup champions.  They have proved over the course of the season that they can follow Nathan Brown's instructions to the letter and as a team have huge trust in each other's abilities and strengths. They make plenty of mistakes but are willing to cover up with tough, uncompromising defence

If Huddersfield do win then my money for the Lance Todd Trophy is on Scott Moore.  On the other hand, if Warrington can capitalise on those mistakes they might triumph by playing with pace and composure and take advantage of their opportunities. I would love to see Lee Briers or Adrian Morley pick up the Lance Todd Trophy.