St Helens join the greats by downing Catalans to win third Grand Final in a row

Catalans Dragons 10 St Helens 12

Much had been made of Catalans Dragons’ remarkable charge to their maiden Grand Final, but a third successive Super League title for St Helens confirmed the defending champions as one of the greatest sides of the modern era.

Steve McNamara’s French outfit fought gamely throughout and Mike McMeeken’s try early in the second half put them ahead to encourage hopes of a famous victory in a brutal, bruising and utterly compelling encounter.

Saints being Saints, though, recovered from the 46th-minute sinbinning of England winger Tommy Makinson to edge back in front through Fijian centre Kevin Naiqama’s second try of the match.

From there Kristian Woolf’s side did not look back and their ‘three-peat’ of consecutive Grand Final victories saw them match the legendary Leeds Rhinos side who achieved a hat-trick of title wins between 2007 and 2009.

Naiqama, 32, will now retire and head home to Australia due to personal reasons, having won the Grand Final in each of his three seasons at the club.

He made the decision due to the difficulties caused by the pandemic which included having to watch the birth of his first child on Facetime earlier this year due to Covid restrictions.

Naiqama became the first Fijian to win the Harry Sunderland Trophy as man of the match and was presented with the award by Leeds icon Rob Burrow, who played in all eight of Leeds’ Grand Final victories.

Naiqama, sipping a can of lager and sporting a huge smile, said: “I’m a very emotional person and this is a fairytale finish for me. It’s the right time for me and my family to go home and to bow out in this way is so special. To meet Rob Burrow after the game was an honour and a privilege because he’s someone I watched back home in Australia.”

Woolf’s men had already won the Challenge Cup at Wembley in July and now the Super League trophy will also remain under lock and key in St Helens.

Saints boss Woolf said: “It was an outstanding game of footy. There was drama, controversy and I'm extremely proud of this group, they are special.”

Catalans captain Ben Garcia and second-rower Matt Whitley both suffered broken hands and centre Dean Whare tore his pectoral muscle.

“It’s a kick in the teeth but we’ll be back,” said McNamara, who felt a number of crucial calls went against his side.

“This isn’t the last step for the Dragons – it’s just the next step. It has opened up a brand new market. There were TV cameras here from Paris and Barcelona and all the French papers were here. It has opened people’s eyes to French rugby league.”

Catalans were once synonymous with underachievement and known for being a club where players went for a decent pay-day and a sun-kissed lifestyle.

Under McNamara, however, they have largely breathed fire and this season finished top for the first time.

At Old Trafford, the Dragons were backed by a colourful and noisy following of around official 1,500 supporters, although many neutrals in the crowd were here to support the French side.

Makinson twice went close to scoring in the right corner but Sione Matu’utia was fortunate to escape a card after punching James Maloney, who soon booted a penalty to put Catalans ahead.

But Saints clinically forged ahead in the 14th minute when full-back Lachlan Coote expertly supported the attack inside the right channel and a neat pass sent Naiqama bursting over the line.

The Dragons were not helped by conceding three penalties in quick succession, with Coote converting one to make it 6-2.

An increasingly tempestuous encounter saw Catalans fashion an exhilarating move which stretched the St Helens defence before winger Fouad Yaha was denied in the left corner.

The Dragons’ pressure told when Maloney kicked his second penalty, cutting Saints’ lead to two points at the interval.

Six minutes after the restart, Old Trafford held its breath when Catalans playmaker Josh Drinkwater flighted a teasing kick to the left corner which found Yaha.

The hulking Frenchman appeared set to cross the line in the left corner but Makinson thwarted him with a head-high tackle which earned the England international a yellow card but not the penalty try that Catalans might have been awarded.

Makinson’s indiscretion marked the first-ever sinbinning in a Super League Grand Final but in the 50th minute, Catalans struck with deadly aplomb.

Drinkwater’s clever flighted kick into the right corner was knocked back by winger Tom Davies into the path of McMeeken, who touched down from close range.

Maloney added the conversion and suddenly McNamara’s men led 10-6, with Makinson still in the sinbin.

But St Helens kept probing and were finally rewarded in the 66th minute when Jonny Lomax’s perfectly-weighted grubber kick fell kindly for the onrushing Naiqama to score his second and Coote converted to seal victory, elevating his team into the realms of greatness.

Match details

Scores: 2-0 Maloney pen, 2-4 Naiqama try, 2-6 Coote pen, 4-6 Maloney pen; McMeeken try 8-6, Maloney pen 10-6, Naiqama try 10-10, Coote con 10-12

Catalans Dragons: S Tomkins; T Davies, D Whare, S Langi, F Yaha; J Maloney, J Drinkwater; J Bousquet, M McIlorum, G Dudson, M McMeeken, M Whitley, B Garcia Interchange: J Tomkins, M Goudemand, A Mourgue, S Kasiano.

St Helens: L Coote; T Makinson, K Naiqama, M Percival, R Grace; J Lomax, L Dodd; A Walmsley, J Roby, M Lees, S Mata’utia, J Batchelor, M Knowles. Interchange: L McCarthy-Scarsbrook, K Amor, APaasi, J Welsby.

Referee: Liam Moore

St Helens spurred on to Grand Final triumph by 'villains' portrayal

By Ross Heppenstall

Morgan Knowles, the St Helens forward, claimed his side being portrayed as “villains” fuelled their desire to win an historic third successive Super League title.

Saints emulated Leeds Rhinos by clinching a glorious ‘three-peat’, but Knowles was unimpressed by all the focus on Catalans in the build-up. The Dragons’ dramatic rise saw them finish top for the first time this season and reach their maiden Grand Final.

Toulouse Olympique will also join Catalans in Super League next season after beating Featherstone Rovers 34-12 in yesterday’s Championship Million Pound Game.

But St Helens’ hat-trick of titles, and Challenge Cup success earlier this season, have marked them out as one of the greatest club sides of the modern era.

Knowles insisted: “We deserve more credit. I think we get portrayed as the villains and that was definitely motivation for us. Unless you were a Saints fan, everyone wanted to see Catalans win and probably rightly so because they were the underdog.

“But we’ve been the best team for the last three or four years with the consistency we’ve had – our win percentage has been better than any other team in Super League.

“In British culture, we like to see people fail and the underdog win, but I think it’s about time now we get the credit we deserve for winning three back-to-back titles, the Challenge Cup and League Leaders’ Shield along the way.

“I’m really, really proud to be a part of this team, and that’s not taking away from Catalans reaching the Grand Final. But we deserve some credit as well.”

Saturday’s title decider, which saw Saints also equal Leeds’ record of eight Grand Final wins, saw the two best teams in the competition face off.

Catalans full-back Sam Tomkins, the 2021 Steve Prescott Man of Steel, required painkilling injections to play after a recent knee injury.

Tomkins’ Dragons team-mates Ben Garcia and Matt Whitley sustained broken hands during the game while Dean Whare was forced off with a torn pec.

A bloody, bruising encounter was decided by Kevin Naiqama’s match-winning double. The Fiji centre, 32, has won the Super League title in each of his three seasons with Saints but will now head home to Australia.

Naiqama broke down in tears after being presented with Harry Sunderland Trophy as man of the match by Leeds legend Rob Burrow.

Naiqama said: “I can’t speak highly enough of the club and what they have done for me in my three years here. They have given me so much joy and done more for me than what I’ve done for them.”

Saints’ success in retaining their title was matched by their women’s team, who beat Leeds Rhinos 28-0 in Sunday’s Grand Final at Headingley to complete the treble.