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Super League Round 12 Preview as Warrington Wolves and Hull KR warm-up for Wembley - The YP Rugby League Podcast
Yorkshire Post
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22/05/2025
James O’Brien discusses the Challenge Cup Final dress rehearsal between Hull Kingston Rovers and Warrington Wolves, the Yorkshire derby clash between Castleford Tigers and Leeds Rhinos and the future for Catalans Dragons Steve McNamara ...
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00:00
Hello and welcome to the latest Rugby League podcast from the Yorkshire Post.
00:11
As ever, we're joined by the Yorkshire Post's Rugby League correspondent James O'Brien
00:15
as we look ahead to round 12 of Super League.
00:18
Pretty much not a lot has changed in terms of positions.
00:23
Hawkeye are still leading the way, while Huddersfield, Cass are still struggling down the bottom.
00:27
Obviously, above Salford, who are still rooted there.
00:32
Their ongoing problems never seeming to end at the moment.
00:36
We're going to look ahead to some of the fixtures as well as a bit of the news that's knocking around
00:41
in terms of possible coach movement.
00:43
But we're going to start with perhaps, for us anyway, James, the biggest sort of game of the weekend.
00:48
Dress rehearsal for the Challenge Cup final, Warrington versus Hawkeye are.
00:53
I don't know if it's, obviously, we don't know how the coaches are going to go with line-ups and stuff
00:59
because there'll be no doubt wanting to say their best for the actual big day down at Wembley.
01:04
But how do you see this one playing out?
01:06
Yes, certainly most interesting fixture at the weekend.
01:11
Like I said, two weeks out from Wembley, dress rehearsal.
01:13
Willie Peters has said he's going to go as strong as possible.
01:21
Not sure about Sam Burgess.
01:22
He's got a few injury problems.
01:24
Matty Ashton's out for the season.
01:25
It was announced last week.
01:27
George Williams is missing as well.
01:28
They've got a few others missing who might be back for Wembley.
01:32
Peters is without Jared Ware.
01:34
Highgreaves, he's suspended.
01:35
I think that's quite a timely one for Hawkeye.
01:37
Yeah, he gets two weeks off now before Wembley and he's, not that he's on the wrong side of 30,
01:44
so it's no bad thing for him.
01:46
In terms of the game itself, yeah, in terms of like showing your hand early,
01:53
they've played each other so many times in recent years.
01:55
It's his first meeting this year.
01:56
So just depending on how you handle individuals and stuff like that,
02:02
it'd be interesting to, in that respect.
02:06
But yeah, I'm just expecting a full-blooded encounter.
02:10
Hawkeye, I need the points for the league leader's shield.
02:13
So the cap, as it showed last year, Hawkeye and Wigan didn't drop many points between them.
02:20
It came down to a couple of points in the end.
02:22
So if you lose this week or next week against Saints, or you lose both,
02:27
and it comes down to a couple of points at the end of the season,
02:29
you'd probably trace it back to this.
02:30
So they need to go in hard on Friday and get the points and get out of there.
02:35
Yeah, coming up against the Warrington team that's kind of misfiring at the moment
02:38
and perhaps going into the game on what some would view as a surprise defeat,
02:42
going down 40-10 to Wakefield last week.
02:46
Yeah, I mean, it's a surprise to most people, but watching Wakefield this season,
02:50
even though they have got a lot of injury problems themselves,
02:52
they are capable of doing that to teams,
02:54
and it's probably been coming from their perspective.
02:56
But on Warrington, yeah, they're a funny old side.
03:00
They beat Lee, obviously, in the semi-finals,
03:02
then they turn up at Wakefield and get it before they put on them.
03:04
So you don't know which side is going to turn up.
03:07
But with the players they've got out at the moment,
03:10
I'd suggest it's a good time for all K.R. to get them,
03:12
especially with Wembley on the horizon,
03:14
even though they have them themselves.
03:15
I just think they're in a better place to go and win it on Friday night,
03:18
like I say, Warrington.
03:20
They could turn up at Wembley with players like Mark Snead
03:22
and George Williams.
03:23
If he is back, he should be.
03:25
They are a dangerous side on a stage like that,
03:28
but I just think Friday night it's all K.R.'s game to lose.
03:32
Yeah.
03:33
OK, obviously, going into it on the back of a,
03:35
I think it was a 34-0 win over Huddersfield,
03:37
who got off the mark the previous week.
03:42
Just quickly on Huddersfield,
03:43
they need to bounce back, obviously, as quickly as possible.
03:46
It's going to be tough at home against Saints, isn't it?
03:49
It is, yeah.
03:49
Saints, they're having a real wobble themselves.
03:52
It looked like Paul Wellens was on the brink
03:54
and then they beat Catalan.
03:58
I know we'll come on to it later,
03:59
but it looks like Steve McNamara has paid the price with his job.
04:03
But Saints, again, another funny side.
04:05
They can do that to teams.
04:07
They haven't threatened it too often this season,
04:09
but they have got some quality players on their side.
04:11
And maybe that's just what they needed
04:14
to springboard them into the rest of the season.
04:17
That thumping a Catalan last week for Huddersfield.
04:20
I mean, they played a whole K.R. side last week.
04:23
That was way off it.
04:24
And they're still lost by 30-odd points.
04:26
So that's not a good sign.
04:28
They got nils.
04:29
They didn't show anything, really, in attack.
04:31
Like, they are bedding the spine back in.
04:35
They've not had the creative players this season.
04:36
Like Adam Kloon, Zach Wolfe, has not played much either.
04:39
So there was a bit of mitigation there,
04:41
but it was a real limp performance
04:44
from an attacking point of view.
04:45
In defence, they were good for long periods.
04:47
They just ran out of steam at the end.
04:49
But they need to show a lot more at home.
04:52
And obviously, their only win has come on the road
04:54
at Magic Weekend.
04:55
So they need to give the fans a bit to cheer about Friday night.
04:59
Yeah.
04:59
You mentioned Catalan's there, obviously.
05:01
We'll get on to Cass versus Leeds on the Saturday in a minute.
05:08
But on Leeds, it would appear, as it stands at the moment
05:13
while we're recording this, Steve McNamara
05:15
hasn't officially left Catalan's yet.
05:17
There's been reports over the last couple of days, really, I think,
05:21
that the club have not come out, obviously,
05:23
and made anything official about it yet.
05:25
They are struggling.
05:26
They've had a very poor-ish start by their recent standards, I guess.
05:31
But apparently, one of the stories relating to McNamara
05:34
is that he's been linked with Leeds.
05:35
Can you tell us a bit more about that?
05:37
Yeah.
05:38
There's been murmurings for a few weeks.
05:40
I was told a few weeks ago.
05:42
But the person who told me, I'm not too sure,
05:44
but all the lads are chatting about Steve McNamara to Leeds.
05:47
It's one of those that it's hard to pin down where it's come from.
05:51
And that would be as in a head coach capacity?
05:54
Yeah, head coach, because obviously they need a contingency.
05:56
Because obviously everything's up in the air still regarding Brad Arthur, isn't it?
05:59
That's it, yeah.
06:00
So they need some kind of contingency.
06:02
And in terms of experienced English coaches,
06:05
they don't get much more experience.
06:07
And Steve McNamara has obviously been the England coach as well,
06:09
so he's used to high-pressure jobs.
06:12
And Leeds is obviously one of the biggest jobs in,
06:14
if not the biggest job, in Super League.
06:16
So you can see why they've gone down that route.
06:19
It might not be the most popular appointment.
06:22
Leeds do like the Aussies.
06:24
They do like Brad Arthur.
06:26
And as it stands right now,
06:29
it looks like he's probably not going to get that Perth job,
06:31
but there might be other jobs coming up.
06:35
Newcastle Knights, for instance,
06:36
and that's a lot closer to Sydney, obviously.
06:37
So he might throw his hat in the ring for that if it comes up.
06:41
But that is the problem at the moment.
06:43
If any job comes up, he's going to throw his hat in the ring.
06:46
I know he said he won't commit to Leeds unless he's fully committed,
06:50
but it's always going to be there, isn't it?
06:51
Even if he stays for, say, next season as well,
06:54
it's always going to be there.
06:54
So Leeds need to look long-term and maybe think
06:57
Steve McNamara is the best bet in that respect.
07:03
In terms of how the impact that Arthur's had on Leeds so far this season,
07:09
it's been a very positive one.
07:11
They've had a good start to the season, sat nicely in fourth,
07:16
nabbed or robbed the points from Hull FC late on,
07:20
I think it was last week, wasn't it?
07:22
But coming up against a Castleford team that are not resurgent,
07:26
resurgent, but will be in sort of good spirits.
07:29
I mean, I know Salford, the team that have had no end of problems
07:33
this season and continue to have problems this season,
07:36
they had a healthy 48-16 win over Salford last week.
07:40
So they'll be waiting for Leeds full of confidence, I guess, really.
07:46
I mean, OK, you could argue, well, there should be what Salford
07:49
given the situation Salford will find themselves in,
07:52
but 48-16 is a very handsome win, isn't it?
07:55
It's not just edging over the line.
07:56
I mean, they were very comfortable winners.
07:59
They were.
08:00
It wasn't the prettiest game, in truth, as you'd expect,
08:03
between two sides at the bottom end of the table.
08:07
But Cass, if you look at the wins, they've won three games,
08:10
but they've only beaten the two sides below them so far.
08:14
So they're getting that part right,
08:16
but they obviously need to turn up and get a win against one of the more
08:21
established sides, one of the top sides.
08:24
And they'd love nothing more than to stick it to Leeds on home soil.
08:28
I know both areas very well.
08:30
And I don't know that Cass get up for this fixture like no other.
08:36
So, yeah, they do tend to get up for these games,
08:41
but Leeds have been too strong in recent times.
08:44
And I'd expect the same on Saturday.
08:47
But it's a really good test for Leeds because they are ticking along nicely.
08:52
But to go into Cass' backyard where there's going to be a good atmosphere
08:56
start the afternoon, if they can go there and continue the form,
08:59
because consistency has been a big problem for Leeds in recent years,
09:02
if they can go there, keep the momentum going
09:04
and knock Cass off the perch if they are on a perch after one win.
09:10
But if they can go there and inflict another blow on them
09:14
and keep their momentum going, then Leeds will be in a great spot.
09:17
I mean, I think we mentioned recently they haven't finished in the top four
09:20
since 2017.
09:22
So just for that, to stay up there, to stay in touch.
09:27
I mean, they might even be looking at Wigan and Hull-Keyard,
09:29
probably a pipe dream, given how consistent those clubs are.
09:33
But if Leeds can keep ticking along, then that belief will keep growing
09:37
and they're a bit of a juggernaut, aren't they?
09:40
As they showed when they finished fifth twice, two years in a row
09:43
and won the title.
09:44
So you can't rule Leeds out.
09:46
It's looking like Hull-Keyard and Wigan at the moment.
09:49
But, yeah, if Leeds overcome this next test,
09:51
then who knows where they could go?
09:53
And, of course, in terms of Cass, if they could sort of drag Warrington
09:59
and I think they're four points off Warrington and Catalan, aren't they,
10:02
or something as it stands at the minute.
10:04
But if they could close the gap on those two above them
10:06
and sort of start putting a bit of table pressure on them as well,
10:11
they could find themselves sort of, you know, ultimately climbing out
10:14
of the bottom three, as it were, where they've been all season so far,
10:17
obviously.
10:18
Yeah.
10:18
I mean, that's one thing about the table.
10:20
It's very congested in the riddle, isn't it?
10:22
And while you probably say Cass are, they do belong in the bottom three
10:26
at the moment, they probably are cut adrift from those other sides
10:29
who can go and beat the teams around them towards the middle,
10:35
top of the table.
10:36
Cass haven't been able to do that.
10:38
But what they do need is just something to play for, don't they,
10:41
for the rest of the season?
10:42
They can't have another season where they're just hovering in 10th.
10:45
Drifting.
10:46
That's it, drifting along with no real purpose.
10:49
I know the building, everyone says the building long-term, of course they are,
10:52
but you need something, don't you, to go at in the season.
10:56
That's where Huddersfield, I mean, it looks like their season's over already,
10:59
doesn't it?
11:00
But for Cass, there is a bit of hope there.
11:02
They're not too far away.
11:03
You'd say they probably don't have the squad to maintain a charge,
11:08
but they just need something, don't they, to hold on to.
11:12
Because there are things going on in the background.
11:13
Mike Jepsen's very ambitious, and he's going to throw money at it.
11:19
They've got Chris Chester in there now.
11:20
If he can just build a bit of momentum on the field as well,
11:23
then the future could be bright for Cass.
11:25
YorkshirePost.co.uk
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