Joel Tomkins of Warriors lauded for try in Challenge Cup – Rugby League news
Joel Tomkins scored the opening try of the Challenge Cup’s final showdown and is the talk of the town after Wigans bagged a 28-18 win over Leeds Rhinos at the Headingley Stadium in Wembley on August 27th.
This try was set up by Sam Tomkins, who is also Joel’s brother, as Joel grabbed the ball near their own touch line to make a 90-meter dash across the length of the field. This over the top run to score a try stretched Wigan’s lead to 16-0 over the Rhinos. Joel’s try is gaining popularity for its stark similarity to the famous try by Martin Offiah of Wigans almost seventeen years ago.
While speaking about his now-famous try, Joel stated, “My try came off the back of a really good performance. I didn’t really know the try was something special. I didn’t think about it until after the game when people started saying, ‘What a try’. I’m still not thinking that to be honest. There’s been a lot of good tries and mine’s just one of them.”
Joel further went on and added that he will be pleased to see his try on repeat after it started gaining rave-reviews. He further added that he is happy about his franchise made past this point which required a lot of hard work from their side. This included battling against some major hurdles including St. Helens and Warrington Wolves.
Joel also mentioned that winning the title is a huge feat for the Warriors, considering their form just a few years ago, whereas now the league toppers boast a franchise profile that is studded with the Super League and Challenge Cup glory
While talking about his brother, Joel also added, “There’s no rivalry with Sam whatsoever, it doesn’t even come into my mind. The way he has played this year has been awesome.”
This win which is special in so many different ways, could not make Wigan’s departing coach, Michael Maguire, happier as the Challenge Cup glory is being celebrated by the Warriors after sixteen long years.
Sam, who was a potential candidate for the Lance Todd Trophy in Saturday’s clash, failed to measure up to the expectations. As acknowledged by him, Sam was of the opinion that this was not his best game.
He went on to explain that his attempts were not fruitful because he was under strict surveillance by the Rhinos, who managed to turn down all his attempts. This however, led to loopholes created for others, which includes Jeff Lima, who was the Lance Todd Trophy holder for the match for his two impressive tries in either half of the match.
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