Ablett hoping England call can ease pain of play-off failure

Like so many England players throughout the game, Leeds Rhinos’ Carl Ablett is anxiously awaiting a phone call. Dave Craven speaks to him after the champions’ play-off exit at Wigan.
Carl Ablett makes a run for LeedsCarl Ablett makes a run for Leeds
Carl Ablett makes a run for Leeds

CARL ABLETT hopes some good news will materialise today as Leeds Rhinos get to grips with losing their Super League crown.

The Leeds Rhinos second-row produced a typically involved display as the reigning champions fell 22-12 in Friday night’s play-off semi-final at Wigan.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Ablett set up Joel Moon’s try with a superb run and also delivered the final pass for the West Yorkshire club’s other try finished off by Liam Sutcliffe.

It was not enough, though, to secure a sixth Grand Final appearance in seven years with Wigan and Warrington Wolves left to battle it out at Old Trafford this weekend.

In the meantime, as many as nine Leeds players could realistically be hoping that low will imminently be replaced by the high of a World Cup inclusion by Steve McNamara.

The England coach names his squad tomorrow with players set to find out – one way or another – today about whether they will be involved in the tournament that kicks off in a little under four weeks at Cardiff.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Ablett, who has five caps to his name and is equally adept at centre, is part of the current elite training squad and certainly in the reckoning.

“It’d be a massive honour if I could get in that squad,” he said, with all those not involved in the Grand Final due to fly out to a high-altitude training camp in South Africa on Wednesday.

“I know how tough it is – there’s only 24 places and back-row’s probably the most competitive position – but I can play a few roles.

“I’ve been pretty happy with my form apart from the Warrington (play-off) game.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“After picking up a thumb injury and missing five weeks, it took a while just to get back into it but these last six or seven weeks I’ve been pretty pleased with what I’ve done.

“It’s just a case of waiting now and seeing whether I get a phone call.”

Ablett’s case could be aided given Hull FC captain Gareth Ellis announced his international retirement last week and another stellar second-row – Leeds colleague Jamie Jones-Buchanan – is battling a knee ligament problem.

The 27-year-old was also impressive once more in Friday’s game, giving McNamara a timely reminder of his attributes even if the visitors did not make the final step to Manchester where they have prospered in each of the last two campaigns.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“They are the ones you want to be involved in,” admitted Ablett, about the absorbing contest at Wigan which proved another fine advert for the sport.

“It was pretty intense and there was real toing and froing there in the middle.

“I think we just ran out of legs a little bit and just didn’t have enough in the tank.

“They were fresh as a team and posted a few points which were just hard to claw back. But I’m still proud of the effort. Everyone out there came up with a great effort but we just came up a little bit short.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Crucially, Wigan had had the previous week off after winning their opening play-off at Huddersfield while Leeds had been forced to play an extra tie against St Helens having lost at Warrington first up.

That seemed to have a knock-on effect at DW Stadium as did the club’s long season battling injuries.

“There’s people in there who probably shouldn’t be playing but it’s that time of year,” said Ablett.

“Jonesy did the first 25 minutes but couldn’t come back out there while a few other people were just not quite right and had just not had enough minutes.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It catches up with you a little. But we won’t use that as an excuse, Wigan were good.

“They played play-off football well – kicked well, chased well and just ground us down a little bit. They can score points, throw good stuff at you and just created an overlap on us a few times to score a few nice tries.”

On Jones-Buchanan, McDermott said: “He shouldn’t have been on the field.

“His ligament is hanging on by a thread. It’s up to Jonesy whether he’s available for the World Cup.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“If it goes, it goes, if not he could do a job. In the match, we had a big dig and were never far off but we always seemed to be a yard behind.

“We could have been smarter but, in terms of effort, we couldn’t have given any more.

“I’m a proud man in charge of a disappointed team.”

Revenge was sweet for Wigan coach Shaun Wane.

Wane’s men now have the chance to become the first club to complete the double since St Helens in 2006, which is a far cry from 2012 when they were thwarted by Leeds at the semi-final stage of both major competitions.

“I can’t tell you how much those games got to me,” Wane said. “That makes this win a lot more satisfying. This game was a bogey game for us. You can never write Leeds off, they’ve got that much talent. It was an important game for me. I wanted to get us over the line and I feel tremendous now.”