WARRINGTON
WHEN the Warrington inquest began at Wembley on Saturday teatime, there was anguish, anger and a dash of indignation.
While head coach Steve Price was forced to explain how his side had been outplayed by a team of French upstarts, senior players were questioning their failure to turn up in the first half.
The oldest and most famous trophy in rugby league was on the line. Big-spending Wolves, Challenge Cup winners three times in the past nine seasons, were clear favourites to take the title again.
Yet Catalans, as they had done in dismantling St Helens in the semi-finals, roused themselves for the big occasion to claim victory. Never before in its 122-year history had the Challenge Cup been won by a non-English club, but from the moment Lewis Tierney scored after two minutes, the Dragons seemed destined to prevail.
Although Ben MurdochMasila replied for Warrington, Ben Garcia and Brayden Wiliame added further French tries either side of half-time.
George King’s touchdown gave the Wolves hope but the Dragons kept their opponents at bay during a tense final quarter.
Warrington playmaker Kevin Brown had lost previous Challenge Cup finals with Wigan and Huddersfield in 2004 and 2009 respectively.
The veteran stand-off said: “This one feels the worst by a long way and is the worst feeling I’ve ever had in my life.
“Catalans played exactly the way we thought they would. We expected Garcia to dive out of dummy half and he did it and scored. We expected Josh Drinkwater to go down the short side and kick, and he did. We had a plan from the coach but we didn’t stick to it – myself included – and what we put together in the first half was embarrassing. We were our own worst enemies.”
Team-mate Mike Cooper said: “It feels pretty horrible. Catalans started really well and deserved to win in the end. We did really well to come back, but we just played terribly. It’s probably the worst we’ve played all year.”
Rookie Australian Price has won plenty of admirers during his debut season in charge of Warrington and their focus will switch back to the Super League on Thursday with a visit of Hull.
The Wolves were last crowned champions of England in 1955 and Price said: “To be a successful organisation, we need to find some answers. Over the next couple of days, we will do that.” Catalans only stayed in Super League last year by beating Leigh in the Million Pound Game and earlier this season coach Steve McNamara appeared doomed after just two wins in the first 11 games.
But the mid-season acquisition of Drinkwater and Kenny Edwards from Down Under proved crucial to the Dragons’ turnaround.
Edwards arrived in May with a lengthy charge sheet that includes common assault, driving on a suspended licence and taking a drug test on behalf of a team-mate. The 28-year-old said: “I’ve a lot to thank Steve Macca for. A few clubs in England were keen but he rang me and said, ‘I want to give you a chance. Yes, there has been a lot of bad press about you, but I’ve done my homework and believe you can play a part here’.
“I said, ‘Living in the south of France would be a dream’, and I made a promise to him that I wasn’t coming for a holiday.
“To bring the first piece of silverware to France is a massive achievement for me. I cried my eyes out after the game.”
Centre David Mead, a Papua New Guinea international, said: “After such a bad start to this season, we were in a pretty dark place. I honestly questioned what I was doing here but credit to Steve because he maintained we would come good, even if other people doubted him.”