Post by padds on Feb 21, 2019 14:45:06 GMT
Hull Kingston Redskins have just completed a fairytale finish to the 2018-19 season by beating minor championship winners and hot favourites Melbourne Monsters 30-20 in the Grand Final.
The season started disastrously for KR with 3 straight defeats which left them rock bottom. Week 4 saw an improvement with a narrow victory over league leaders Canberra, followed by a 10 – 6 loss to mighty Adelaide. 4 wins against lesser sides saw redskins rise to 5th place after 10 games. Looking good for a play-off position, Hull were struck by injuries, mainly in the halves, and 3 losses in the next five matches saw them slip down to 9th place, but still only 4 points off 4th place. A team boasting the talents of Kalyn Ponga, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak. Cameron Munster, Ash Taylor, Richie Myler, Adam Reynolds, Chris Hill, Daryl Clark and Ryan James will always be in with a chance and as injured players returned so did the teams form. Redskins would only lose one more game as they started a run which would end in the ultimate glory of a Grand Final win.
Victory in the final 3 matches, the last against Gold Coast, which deprived them of the Minor Premiership, saw HKR finish 4th. In the play-offs Redskins proved their credentials again as first Sydney, then Gold Coast were well beaten, before the Qualifying Final beckoned with Melbourne Monsters, the Minor Champions. Hull dominated the first half and led 18-0 at the break. Melbourne stormed back, showing why they were the champions and with only 12 minutes left they had clawed the game back to only 2 points. Panic set in now and after Josh Griffin was sin binned for 10 minutes the Redskins cracked and gave away 2 converted penalties in the last 5 minutes to lose 18-16.
Adelaide now stood in the way of a Grand Final and Hull were in no mood to miss out on their chance for revenge against the Monsters. Chris Hill returned from injury to captain the Redskins to a victory which was never in doubt over a weakened Attitude.
Grand Final day dawned with Melbourne hot favourites to add the Championship to the Minor Championship in a memorable season, but it was not to be as Hull shrugged off the absence Cameron Munster and Richie Myler to take charge of the game from the start. Ash Taylor was magnificent and had already won the Man of the Match award by the time he was injured in the 55th minute. As in the Qualifying Final hull led 18-0, but with Taylor gone Melbourne sensed blood and piled on the pressure. 24-20 to Hull with 2 minutes to go it was anybody's game, Oliver Gildart settled it for the Redskins, who ran out 30-20 winners and gave coach Dave Paddock his 3rd premiership.
Earlier in the day Geelong had completed the double double with a win over Byron and set the stage for Melbourne to do the same, but their seniors were denied in what has been an epic season for the Melbourne franchise.
Redskins coach Dave Paddock said afterwards ‘It’s a good job I've got a strong heart, that's what these boys showed today. After we dominated completely for an hour the Monsters came back strong and many teams would have cracked, but this team showed heart, spirit and the will to win against all odds. They are a fantastic team and a great bunch of guys. They deserve this. We have built a side over the last few seasons and there is no reason why we cannot carry on with success for the next few. Trafford won the RSC championship last year, we won this, who knows what is to come.’
The season started disastrously for KR with 3 straight defeats which left them rock bottom. Week 4 saw an improvement with a narrow victory over league leaders Canberra, followed by a 10 – 6 loss to mighty Adelaide. 4 wins against lesser sides saw redskins rise to 5th place after 10 games. Looking good for a play-off position, Hull were struck by injuries, mainly in the halves, and 3 losses in the next five matches saw them slip down to 9th place, but still only 4 points off 4th place. A team boasting the talents of Kalyn Ponga, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak. Cameron Munster, Ash Taylor, Richie Myler, Adam Reynolds, Chris Hill, Daryl Clark and Ryan James will always be in with a chance and as injured players returned so did the teams form. Redskins would only lose one more game as they started a run which would end in the ultimate glory of a Grand Final win.
Victory in the final 3 matches, the last against Gold Coast, which deprived them of the Minor Premiership, saw HKR finish 4th. In the play-offs Redskins proved their credentials again as first Sydney, then Gold Coast were well beaten, before the Qualifying Final beckoned with Melbourne Monsters, the Minor Champions. Hull dominated the first half and led 18-0 at the break. Melbourne stormed back, showing why they were the champions and with only 12 minutes left they had clawed the game back to only 2 points. Panic set in now and after Josh Griffin was sin binned for 10 minutes the Redskins cracked and gave away 2 converted penalties in the last 5 minutes to lose 18-16.
Adelaide now stood in the way of a Grand Final and Hull were in no mood to miss out on their chance for revenge against the Monsters. Chris Hill returned from injury to captain the Redskins to a victory which was never in doubt over a weakened Attitude.
Grand Final day dawned with Melbourne hot favourites to add the Championship to the Minor Championship in a memorable season, but it was not to be as Hull shrugged off the absence Cameron Munster and Richie Myler to take charge of the game from the start. Ash Taylor was magnificent and had already won the Man of the Match award by the time he was injured in the 55th minute. As in the Qualifying Final hull led 18-0, but with Taylor gone Melbourne sensed blood and piled on the pressure. 24-20 to Hull with 2 minutes to go it was anybody's game, Oliver Gildart settled it for the Redskins, who ran out 30-20 winners and gave coach Dave Paddock his 3rd premiership.
Earlier in the day Geelong had completed the double double with a win over Byron and set the stage for Melbourne to do the same, but their seniors were denied in what has been an epic season for the Melbourne franchise.
Redskins coach Dave Paddock said afterwards ‘It’s a good job I've got a strong heart, that's what these boys showed today. After we dominated completely for an hour the Monsters came back strong and many teams would have cracked, but this team showed heart, spirit and the will to win against all odds. They are a fantastic team and a great bunch of guys. They deserve this. We have built a side over the last few seasons and there is no reason why we cannot carry on with success for the next few. Trafford won the RSC championship last year, we won this, who knows what is to come.’
