Round 23
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 6 l. Crusaders RL 40

2011 engage English Super League Index [Table] [Draw] [Player Stats]

Location: United Kingdom > National > First Grade Competition: engage English Super League

Shell shocked Crusaders over power Wakefield
Mon August 1, 2011
Source: www.superleague.co.uk

Crusaders RL's shell-shocked players picked themselves up to stun the club that unexpectedly survived in Engage Super League at their expense.

Five days after Crusaders' handed Wakefield Trinity Wildcats an unexpected reprieve in the elite division by withdrawing from next season, their wronged players overpowered the Wildcats at the Rapid Solicitors Stadium.

The damage was done in a 14-minute spell either side of half-time as Lincoln Withers broke the deadlock after 34 scoreless minutes, Lloyd White grabbed two and Stuart Reardon also raced over.

The Wildcats belatedly responded through Josh Veivers but Vince Mellars, Jordan James and Elliot Kear finished the job as the hosts capitulated.

It was a forceful point by the Crusaders players and their coach Iestyn Harris, most of whom face an uncertain future following Tuesday's shock announcement.

In terms of effort and commitment they did their cause no harm as they look for new clubs, while at the same time highlighting Wakefield's deficiencies.

The Wildcats, who were unbackable favourites to lose their Super League licence, now have ground to make up as they look to build a competitive team for next season.

There was little entertainment in the first half but Crusaders were the more industrious as they ground out a 6-0 lead.

Even though they made little headway, the Welshmen had the greater possession and spent plenty of time in Wakefield territory.

An early opening was missed when Kear stepped into touch and another chance was squandered when, after recovering a poor pass, Tony Martin threw one of his own to Reardon.

Reardon showed his defensive abilities with a try-saving tackle on Jeremy Smith and Wakefield also had Frankie Mariano stopped short.

Chris Dean went close to touching down a kick from Smith but Wakefield's attacks in the first period were rare.

Crusaders continued to see more of the ball and finally made the breakthrough six minutes before the break when a Kear pass bounced kindly for Withers to run under the posts.

Clinton Schifcofske kicked the goal and Crusaders were further rewarded for their endeavour two minutes into the second half when White went over for his first from a Michael Witt pass.

White was in the right place again six minutes later after Crusaders chose to run a penalty and Withers broke the line to set up the Wales international.

The Welsh side began to run their hosts ragged as Tony Martin broke through a series of tackles to release Reardon on a try-scoring run down the right wing.

With Schifcofske adding two more goals to his tally, the visitors almost had the game wrapped up at 22-0.

The Wildcats at last produced a response just before the hour as Smith claimed his own clever kick and put over the supporting Veivers, who added the extras himself from in front of the posts.

But Crusaders moved up another gear to send Mellars over from close range.

James then crashed over and Kear showed good pace to touch down on the left.

Witt converted two and Martin another as Crusaders finished in style. They have now cut the gap on their nearest rivals to two points with four games remaining.


Harris focused on Wildcats clash
Wed July 27, 2011
Source: www.crusadersrfl.com

Crusaders head coach Iestyn Harris said his side are fully focused on preparing for this Sunday's must-win clash against Wakefield Trinity Wildcats.

Super League's only Welsh club travel to The Rapid Solicitors Stadium looking to secure the double over the Wildcats.

The sides met at the Racecourse Ground back in May, where the home side ground out a 23-10 victory over the Wildcats.

And this Sunday's match in Yorkshire could take on extra significance following the announcement of which teams will be granted a Super League Licence on Tuesday.

However, Harris says his squad are purely focused on preparing for Wakefield on Sunday.

"We are not looking beyond Wakefield at the moment," Harris said.

"It is a massive game for us because the result could dictate were we finish at the end of the season.

"Obviously we are hoping for good news on Tuesday. There is a lot of good work going on here and we want to continue that in Super League.

"Whatever the outcome it will not affect how we will prepare for the game. It is all about going to Wakefield and getting the two points. They will be fired up because they will want to put a bit of a gap between us with five games left. John Kear is a great coach and he will have them well prepared on Sunday. Their fans are very passionate and noisy and it is always a difficult place to go and get a win.

"We beat them at the Racecourse earlier this year but that was a very close game until the last 10 minutes. It could have gone either way and they are a very competitive side. You have to work for every yard, every point against Wakefield and I'm expecting it to be no different on Sunday."

The Crusaders squad were given a week off by Harris following their last outing against Castleford Tigers.

Crusaders suffered a narrow, last minute loss in that match and Harris said he is hoping for a big response from his squad when they face the Wildcats;

He added: "The boys have had a week off and they have come back refreshed and re-energised. They have looked sharp in the first session this week and they fired up for the weekend.

"The manner in which we lost the Castleford match was tough to take but the players have responded well. We're all pulling in the right direction and we want to lift ourselves off the bottom of the table and finish this season strongly.

"I am looking for a big response after the Castleford game. The game was there for the taking but we lacked the concentration and composure needed to close the game out.

"It was extremely disappointing because I was expecting us to kick away in that second half. We just kept giving them opportunities. The players were upset in after the game so they will be keen to put things right.

"In the first half, we looked dominant and comfortable and ready to kick on. We just didn't come out afterwards and, in fairness to Cas, they just dug and stuck there. They did all the little things.

"But this week we want to put things right. The next couple of games are massive for us because they provide us with an opportunity to climb the table. It has been a long, hard season for us so we want to end the season of a high."

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