Headingley insight has Lunt eager to capture silverware

The former England hooker has watched on from afar, whether that be in Workington or Huddersfield, as Leeds have routinely reached Super League’s Grand Final.

Ordinarily they will do so from their usual berth of the top two but 12 months ago saw their staggering and unprecedented achievement of winning the title from fifth.

Either way, Leeds’s unerring proficiency in delivering their finest form when it matters most is something to behold.

If they beat Wigan Warriors on Friday night they will have reached Old Trafford for the seventh time in nine seasons.

They have won the championship five times in that period so far, including four successes in the last five years alone.

Brian McDermott’s side have not been the top side in 2012. Far from it. They have been the fifth best team in the competition. The final league table decrees that.

Yet they are threatening to repeat their remarkable feat of last year. Play-off victories over Wakefield Trinity Wildcats and Friday’s epic success in Perpignan leaves them just one big display from Manchester once more.

For Lunt, the Cumbrian who joined on loan from Huddersfield Giants in mid-April, being involved in their inner sanctum and witnessing such a relentless winning mentality close up has been an enlightening experience.

“I can really understand and appreciate now how they did what they did last year,” he told the Yorkshire Post last night, referring to when Rhinos became the first side to triumph from outside the top three.

“It’s been fantastic working with everyone here.

“The guys playing at Leeds are amazing, just real winners.

“You saw it again in France. They bring the best out of you all the time and it’s been an honour stepping out on the pitch with them.

“We’re 80 minutes from the Grand Final. Hopefully we can beat Wigan on Friday and get there.”

There was enough class, resilience and downright cussedness in that 27-20 win at Catalan to suggest they both have the wherewithal and momentum to do just that.

All the usual suspects were there – Kevin Sinfield, Danny McGuire, Rob Burrow, Jamie Peacock, Ryan Bailey et al – but the pleasing aspect for McDermott must have been the impact of those so new to this experience.

Lunt himself showed great awareness to set up Stevie Ward’s opening try and then, immediately afterwards, got on the end of Jamie Jones-Buchanan’s break to score his ninth try in Leeds colours.

Prop Darrell Griffin, who arrived from Huddersfield last winter, had a terrific impact off the bench, lifting Rhinos just when they needed it most in the face of Catalan’s usual bruising nature.

Then, of course, there was that precocious talent Ward, the comparatively sleight teenager who tellingly stood up and rattled the fearsome Jamal Fakir into an error on the first tackle after Catalan had forced a drop out.

It was a significant moment in the match and perhaps, in some way, all three came of age and truly passed their Leeds initiation.

“I can only play as well as our forwards let me,” insisted Lunt.

“They were brilliant on Friday night. It was a real tough game up front with their big forwards but our guys got us on the front foot and my try came on the back of that.”

It bodes well for taking on a similarly physical Wigan. Clearly, their hosts hold some sway over Leeds this year having twice defeated them in the league, emphatically so at Headingley.

But Rhinos produced their best performance of the season to take the Challenge Cup semi-final 39-28 against the Cherry and Whites, a performance full of all the ballast, drive and toughness which will be necessary again this weekend.

“We’ll have to play even better than we did then,” maintained Lunt.

“They’ll be up for this even more now and we know what Wigan are capable of.

“We’re all looking forward to it.

“There was no real surprises when they picked us (yesterday) at ClubCall.

“It was well-documented they’d choose us.

“It’ll be tough over there but we were underdogs at Catalan and nobody gave us a chance.

“Not many teams have gone over there and won this season but anything can happen in knockout football and we got what we wanted.

“Now we’ll look to do the same at Wigan.”

Leeds will be bolstered by the return of experienced Samoan prop Kylie Leuluai who was suspended for France although they may yet lose Danny McGuire to suspension.

McDermott is mindful of the size of the task ahead but sees no reason why they cannot deny the 2010 champions – regardless of what occurred 12 months ago.

“I don’t mind repeating it – what happened last year is history,” said the coach.

“It does prove it can be done from outside the top two and top three but it’s history and if we’re going to do it again we have to recreate our own history.

“And, where we have been in the league this year, we’ll need to do something special to win the Grand Final.

“We just had a good performance and good result in Catalan and we needed that.

“Should we go to Wigan and beat them on Friday night it would need to be one of the best performances we’ve put up this year.

“It’s that big a challenge but to win a Grand Final you have to play like that as well.

“It can be done but last year doesn’t have a bearing. We have to start again.”

McGuire, meanwhile, was put on report for a high tackle on Louis Anderson during Friday’s win.

The incident will be considered by the RFL’s match review panel today and McDermott is adamant that his scrum-half should face no action, arguing that he made accidental contact with the Kiwi international.

“I don’t think I’m being biased but that’s not a bannable offence,” he said. “You can’t ban people for unfortunately finding themselves making contact with somebody’s head.

“If someone goes out to make contact with somebody’s head intentionally, ban them. To keep making that ‘mistake’, ban them.

“That’s what I thought the review panel was for, to try to eradicate repeat offenders, either cynical contact where people are twisting elbow and shoulder sockets or people who just can’t get their tackle technique right.

“At the moment with the panel it seems to be a ‘one-strike and you’re out’. There are very few successes this year.”

Wigan coach Shaun Wane admits they have revenge in their thoughts after the holders were knocked out of the Challenge Cup by Leeds.

“We decided a few weeks ago that, if we were in a position to make the call, we’d go with the lowest-rank team,” he said, with second-placed Warrington their only other option.

“We did have discussions about going elsewhere but we decided to stick to our guns.

“But, make no mistake, we know it’s going to be a tough game. At this stage, it would be tough whoever you pick.

“We’re still hurting from that performance in the cup. It was not so much the loss but we under-performed that day.

“It wasn’t us. Sam (Tomkins) has not done things that he did that day, we’ve not played as poorly since then. I’ve been upset ever since. It is a game I’m desperate to put right.”