Magic Weekend: Emphatic Warrington beat Wigan to stay in touch at top

The future of Magic Weekend has arguably never been more unclear than it has been heading into this year’s edition at Anfield but on a day that provided sizeable ramifications for the Super League table, it was clear the competition’s annual road trip still has some life in it yet.

Make no mistake about it, records certainly were not set on day one in Liverpool, even if Huddersfield Giants did come close with their 55-2 demolition of Hull FC in the middle game. But given the fears of a record-low crowd for Magic this weekend amid a purported public backlash over the move from Newcastle, a crowd of just over 30,000 was far from a disaster.

There were surprises on and off the field on an action-packed day, but one thing that did go with form was the main event. The defence of Wigan’s Super League title this season has been filled with promising moments that have faded into disappointment and their 26-14 defeat by Warrington was arguably a microcosm of their campaign so far.

The earlier defeats for Hull and Wakefield meant the door was ajar for the Warriors to claw back ground on the play-offs. Level at 8-8 early in the second half, they seemed well‑placed to do exactly that. Second-placed Warrington, though, took the game away from the Warriors in emphatic fashion to keep in touch with the leaders, St Helens, who close the weekend against Castleford on Sunday.

Blake Austin’s stupendous solo try put Warrington back ahead before Toby King’s long-range effort six minutes later put the game beyond the champions, who at least battled until the end, scoring a late consolation through Willie Isa. “The Magic round has lived up to everything I hoped it would be,” said Austin afterwards, summing up the buzz surrounding the opening day.

While Wigan failed to reduce the gap to the top five, Huddersfield made no such mistake. No team has won more times at Magic Weekend than the Giants, and of their nine victories from 13 attempts this was easily the most magnificent. “That was far and away our most complete performance of the season,” their coach Simon Woolford said afterwards. He wasn’t wrong.

They brutally dispatched Hull with a 10-try display that will take some beating on Sunday in the stakes to be considered the performance of the weekend, with their mercurial stand-off, Lee Gaskell, having a hand in almost everything they did well, as Jermaine McGillvary and Darnell McIntosh both finished with two scores.

This was another baffling display from Hull, who remain Super League’s great enigma. They are inside the play-offs at present but this, the fourth time they have been beaten by 30 or more already, shows they are still not quite title contenders. “It looked like The Rocky Horror Show,” was the summation from their coach, Lee Radford.

Hull’s defeat ensured it was a great day for Catalans, who sit outright third following their victory in the opening game. Their clash with Wakefield was a nip-and-tuck tussle befitting an event of this magnitude but in the end Tony Gigot’s drop goal, coupled with two second-half tries from Ben Garcia, ensured a 25-18 victory for the Dragons.

The headline act on Sunday? The encounter at the bottom between Leeds and London; the loser will likely end Magic at the foot of the table. For some, the jury will remain out on the long-term future of Magic whatever happens but if day two is as well-received as the opening day, perhaps talk of the event’s demise will be seen as premature.

source: theguardian.com