After another show-stopping Magic Weekend, we take a look at some of the biggest talking points from Super League’s big weekend in Newcastle…
Wakefield Trinity showing their SL worth
Day two of Magic Weekend finished with a West Yorkshire derby between Wakefield Trinity and Castleford Tigers, the promoted outfit absolutely dominating the contest and picking up one of the best moments of the weekend with it as prop Caius Faatili ran 70 metres to go in and score under the sticks.
The win for Daryl Powell’s side means they have five wins and five losses after 10 rounds of the Super League season which puts them on the same amount of points as Warrington Wolves, Catalans Dragons, and St Helens.
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Highlights of the Super League clash between Castleford Tigers and Wakefield Trinity.
They are only out of the top six due to points difference and have a lot to build on yet – not bad for the side who were in the Championship in 2024!
Can they mount a run that can see them in the play-off places at crunch time? There will be growing belief in their camp that they can.
Coaches perplexed with refereeing
While there was so much star power, drama, and sensational skill on show in Newcastle, a lot of matches also ended with coaches questioning the refereeing of the competition.
It is a question that has been raised over the last few weeks due to the increased frequency of cards shown since round seven, plus how slow video referee calls are.
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Lewis Murphy was controversially sin-binned for after kneeing his opponent in the head while challenging for a high ball.
St Helens head coach Paul Wellens said the decision to show Lewis Murphy a yellow card was “ridiculous and flabbergasting”, the decision causing outcry and debate on social media too.
Meanwhile, Wigan head coach Matt Peet said games have become strange recently due to the slowing down of games that has seen them become very “stop-start”.
“I had every faith in the lads, but nothing would’ve surprised me with that game, it was just an ebb-and-flow game,” Peet said.
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Jamie Jones-Buchanan and Jon Wilkin debate whether the referee made the right decision to sin-bin Lewis Murphy after accidentally kneeing his opponent in the head.
“They are all strange at the moment, aren’t they? Very stop-start. There are a lot of moments where everyone just looks at the ref. I can’t really be bothered saying too much.
“I think a few years ago, everything we were talking about was about quickening things up, quickening the play-the-balls up, quickening the decision process, quickening any dead time up and without any messaging that we’re going in the opposite direction. This isn’t just about today’s game, we’ve been talking about it for a while, it’s really strange.”
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A big scuffle broke out as Hull FC’s Sam Eseh was shown a yellow card for a shoulder hit.
Wakefield Trinity head coach Powell agreed that the speed of decision-making needs to be rectified and fast.
It is a contentious point that has reared it’s head massively over the last few weeks with clubs obviously looking to referees for direction on why cards have risen in number. Let’s hope they get it.
Wigan know how to win but Warrington gritty
Without star half-backs George Williams and Marc Sneyd plus Danny Walker, not many gave Warrington any hope of getting close to Wigan when they met on day two at Magic Weekend.
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Warrington Wolves’ Matt Dufty makes a mess of a last-man tackle to gift Wigan Warriors a try.
Indeed, drubbings were being discussed, the star power of Wigan seemingly looking too much on paper for Sam Burgess’ side.
However, in the second half of their contest, Warrington showed massive determination, getting the game to 22-20, Stefan Ratchford unable to send the conversion over that would have brought the game level.
It was an indication of the belief within the Wolves camp, their players unwilling to listen to the noise but rather writing their own narrative on what many expected to be a tough day for the Wire.
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Bevan French extends Wigan Warriors’ lead over the Warrington Wolves.
However, Wigan have now made it five wins in a row – winning well and winning scrappily. A sign of a dangerous team is that they are winning even when it is not their best day.
St Helens with questions to answer
When any side wins four trophies in a row, the fans of that club come to expect silverware. That is no different for St Helens.
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St Helens head coach Paul Wellens says he was flabbergasted when Lewis Murphy was sin-binned for an unintentional knee on his opponent.
Last winning the Grand Final in 2022 before picking up the World Club Challenge at the start of 2023, Paul Wellens’ side made it to the semi-finals of the competition in his first year in charge before being knocked out in the quarters by Warrington via a dramatic George Williams drop goal in 2024, injuries plaguing their ability to compete.
In 2025, they have been lacklustre in the big matches once again, losing to Warrington three times, plus Hull KR, Leeds Rhinos, and Wigan Warriors.
When it comes to now facing the other big clubs in Super League, they no longer seem to have the ability to get the results that please fans, heaping all sorts of pressure on Wellens as he tries to find answers.
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Highlights of St Helens’ match against Leeds Rhinos in the Super League.
Struggling after trophies is not an uncommon story, with Manchester City’s standards falling after their four-in-a-row triumph and Penrith Panthers sitting bottom of the table in the NRL following theirs.
But for the Saints, there will be fears they are going through a situation similar to when Leeds lost their ‘golden generation’ and hit a slump that has not fully stopped.
The pressure is high and their head coach, plus their very experienced contingent, will need to figure out how to start competing again.
Huddersfield now to play with freedom?
Heading into Magic Weekend, Huddersfield Giants had nine losses in nine rounds, with head coach Luke Robinson contending with a whole host of injuries plus near misses that had his side slumped in bottom spot.
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Hull FC’s Liam Knight is sent off for a dangerous hit during his team’s clash with Huddersfield Giants.
Their opposition, Hull FC, despite recent defeats were the clear favourites, with many believing the Giants would make it 10 from 10 in the ‘L’ column at St James’ Park.
A drama-filled contest changed that, though, yellow cards for Giants’ Tom Burgess and Hull FC’s Sam Eseh plus a red card for the Black and Whites’ Liam Knight taking the clash to boiling point.
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Highlights of the Super League clash between Huddersfield Giants and Hull FC.
Robinson’s side managed to hold on and grind out the win, the head coach celebrating triumphantly.
It was a brilliant moment to watch unfold and felt like the chains had been released on Huddersfield- will we now see them play with confidence rather than just fight?
Sky Sports will again show every game of Super League live this season – including two matches in each round exclusively live, with the remaining four matches each week shown on Sky Sports+ via the red button.
