Halifax Panthers defeated London Roosters 42-32 to win a thunderous Grand Final in the Wheelchair Super League.
The game was brutal at times and intensely physical from the start, but it was Jack Brown who excelled for Halifax, proving a constant threat and try-scorer extraordinaire.
Halifax and London have been each other’s chief rivals this season. They met in the summer in the Challenge Cup final, also won by the Panthers, as well as the League Leaders’ Shield.
The Roosters have had a great run in the league, only experiencing one loss across the regular season. That loss, however, came at the hands of the Panthers.
Teen sensation Wass races over the line
London pushed for revenge early on in this encounter at the Manchester Basketball Centre, with teen sensation Casper Wass, just 15 years old, scoring the opening try of the Grand Final, his first of an eventual three in this match.
But tempers erupted early on. London’s Mason Billington toppled over at speed while tackling Rob Hawkins. The Halifax player promptly threw the ball at Billington’s head. Billington pushed himself up and charged into Hawkins, grabbing him by the shirt as other players clustered round.
That incident saw Billington receive a yellow card, the first sin binning ever in a Wheelchair Super League Grand Final.
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London Roosters’ Mason Billington was NOT happy with Halifax Panthers’ Rob Hawkins
Violent contact remained a feature of the contest. Later on Billington smashed star player Brown over with a high tackle that saw him hit the deck heavily.
But Brown told Sky Sports afterwards: “There’s nothing in it. Heat of the moment, it’s a game at the end of the day.
“The chairs take the brunt of it,” he added, pointing out the dent crumpling the front of his wheelchair. “Falling on the floor can hurt… It’s just passion for the game and obsession. We love it.”
Lewis King smashes through to score
Brown revelled in his work on the court. After captain-coach Wayne Boardman knocked the ball ahead for him, Brown zoomed round on the outside to pick it up and score. To celebrate Brown brandished a card that read: “It is what it is.”
For his next try he displayed brilliant movement, spinning round to open up a gap that he could dart through.
By then Halifax had command of the game, leading 20-6. Brown finished off a first half hat-trick making a sensational break, swerving round Billington before taking a hit on his way to the line.
London narrowed the deficit to 28-16 when Joe Coyd was tackled just in front of the line but Lewis King managed to catch his pass and touch down just before he was smashed out of bounds by the Halifax defence.
Brown scored again, an immediate retaliation to Billington’s high tackle, and Halifax continued to gleefully put points on the board and eventually take the game out of London’s reach.
Jack Brown is one the sport’s greats
Wass’ final try, with two minutes left on the clock, put the Roosters within 10 points but London ultimately could not shake loose the Panther’s domination.
“You’re only as good as the team you’ve got around you,” Brown reflected afterwards. “This is the most connected team I’ve played in.
“It just brings out the best in all of us,” he concluded. “We love doing what we’re doing.”