Time to conjure up special show
REPORTS NEWCASTLE UNITED and even Newcastle Falcons have thrived at St James’ Park in recent weeks, and now it is Super League’s turn to take centre stage.
The annual Magic Weekend, which began in Cardiff in 2007 and has also been to Murrayfield and the Etihad Stadium, is back in Newcastle for a fourth straight year.
The event sees an extra round of Super League fixtures played over two days and is usually great fun.
But its merits as a gospelspreading exercise – taking the game out of the northern heartlands and into Wales, Scotland and the football hotbed of Newcastle – are dubious to say the least.
There has been no real expansion of rugby league in these areas since the Magic Weekend began, and the fixture list can be imbalanced.
Today’s clashes see in-form title rivals Warrington Wolves and Wigan Warriors face off while last season’s Grand Finalists Castleford and Leeds will meet once again.
That is great, but the first game of the day – leaders St Helens versus struggling Widnes – is likely to be a walkover and does nothing for the event.
Imagine how Widnes will feel – after 23 rounds – if they miss out on a top-eight spot to Catalans, who face the mucheasier prospect of taking on injury-hit Salford tomorrow instead.
Warrington were last crowned champions in 1955 but Australian coach Steve Price is beginning to cast his spell after 10 straight wins.
Playmaker Tyrone Roberts, signed from NRL club Gold Coast Titans during the winter, said: “St James’ Park is a great stadium and the more you walk around it, the bigger it looks.
“I’d probably compare it to the Suncorp in
TODAY
WIDNES v ST HELENS, 3pm WIGAN v WARRINGTON, 5.15pm CASTLEFORD v LEEDS, 7.30pm
TOMORROW
SALFORD v CATALANS, 1pm WAKEFIELD v HUDDERSFIELD, 3.15pm HULL KR v HULL FC, 5.30PM Brisbane or the big stadiums in Sydney, but they don’t really get packed out unless it’s a State of Origin game.
“I’ve played at Suncorp and in some semi-finals back home and it’s a case of mentally taking it all in when there’s a big crowd, but when you run out it’s great.
“I’m looking forward to it and as a team we’re still growing, but playing Wigan will show us how good we’re really going to be. They’re a big, physical side.”
Wigan lie second after a sevenmatch winning run and their England scrumhalf George Williams said: “We’re a bit under the radar at the moment and that can be a good thing as we are just enjoying going about our business. “Ourselves and Warrington have found some form, but St Helens have set the benchmark.”
Ticket sales are again on track to break the 65,000 mark over the two days, but Newcastle regularly boast capacity crowds of 52,000 and the Falcons recently staged an Aviva Premiership home game against Northampton there and attracted 30,174, dwarfing their previous record home crowd of 11,750.
More significant, it was about four times bigger than they usually get at Kingston Park and also three times more profitable. It is that kind of ambition and drive which rugby league has all too often lacked and led to the appointment of Robert Elstone as head of Super League.
Seismic change beckons as clubs look to control their own destiny away from the Rugby Football League. An RFL official this week tweeted another picture of interim chief executive Ralph Rimmer with Barry Hearn, following a previous post of him with Eddie Hearn.
The Hearns have been linked with revamping the sport after years of stagnation, but this weekend the onus is on the players to conjure
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