Rugby League: Widnes prepare for final push

Oct 6 2007 by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Daily Post

STEVE McCORMACK, the youngest man to coach in Super League, will make a fourth attempt to get back there tomorrow when his Widnes team take on Castleford in the Co-operative National League One Grand Final at Headingley.

McCormack, who was just 28 when he was appointed at Salford in 2001, twice took Whitehaven to the brink of the top flight and his Vikings team were beaten in the promotion decider by Hull KR a year ago.

“It’s my fourth time in a row and obviously I’ve not won yet,” he said. “I would love to be able to look back and say I’ve been involved in a winning Grand Final team.

“It’s a privilege to be involved in so many finals. A lot of coaches don’t get the opportunity to do that. After every final you always think you’re not going to get another chance.”

If he fails again, McCormack may not get another chance, with automatic promotion and relegation set to be scrapped to make way for a system of Super League licenses in 2009.

Tomorrow’s game has been dubbed a £1million decider because of the annual pay-out from television revenue but, with a three-year franchise virtually guaranteed for the winners, victory will be priceless.

“If you look at the stadiums and the crowds, the history and the infrastructures, I think both clubs probably deserve a license in their own right,” said McCormack. “But it doesn’t look like that’s going to be and the team that gets promoted this year is going to have a head start over some of the other teams, so that probably adds a bit more spice to it.”