The 2001 Super League Grand Final was the Fourth official Grand Final and the conclusive and championship-deciding match of Super League VI. The match was held on Saturday 13 October 2001 at Old Trafford, Manchester, and was contested by Bradford Bulls and Wigan Warriors. Refereed by Stuart Cummings, 60,164 saw Bradford Bulls win 37 - 6.
| 2001 Super League Grand Final | |||||||||||||
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| Date | 13 October 2001 | ||||||||||||
| Stadium | Old Trafford | ||||||||||||
| Location |  Manchester | ||||||||||||
| Harry Sunderland Trophy |  Michael Withers, ( Bradford Bulls) | ||||||||||||
| Referee | Stuart Cummings | ||||||||||||
| Attendance | 60,164 | ||||||||||||
| Broadcast partners | |||||||||||||
| Broadcasters | |||||||||||||
| Commentators | |||||||||||||
Background
editTetleys Super League VI was the fourth and final time the top five playoff system would be used and the first season relegation was reintroduced with Huddersfield Giants again finishing bottom and relegated. Bradford Bulls finished top for a third time.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bradford Bulls
|
28 | 22 | 1 | 5 | 1120 | 474 | +646 | 45 |
| 2 |  Wigan Warriors
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28 | 22 | 1 | 5 | 989 | 494 | +495 | 45 |
Route to the Final
editBradford Bulls
editBradford finished first in the table so they automatically qualified for the play-off semi-finals where they had a home time against Wigan at Odsal Stadium. Bradford won 24–18 to qualify for the Grand Final.
Wigan Warriors
edit
The play-off system in use only gave the league leaders a bye to the semi-finals. Wigan had finished second so had to play a qualifying play-off first. Drawn at home to Hull F.C. Wigan won a close game 27–24 to go through to the semi-final. This was an away fixture to Bradford where they were beaten 24–18. However this loss did not end their season. The losers of the qualifying semi-final got another chance by playing the winners of the other semi-final in a final eliminator. Therefore, Wigan's third play-off game was a home tie against St Helens where they won through 44–10.
| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Qualifying Semi-Final |  Hull FC (H)
|
27-24 |
| Semi-Final | Bradford Bulls (A)
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24-18 |
| Preliminary Final |  St Helens (H)
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44-10 |
| Key: (H) = Home venue; (A) = Away venue. | ||
Match details
edit13 October 2001
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| Bradford Bulls
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37 - 6 | Wigan Warriors
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|---|---|---|
| Tries: James Lowes, Michael Withers (3), Stuart Fielden, Graham Mackay Goals: Henry Paul (5), Graham Mackay Drop Goals: Henry Paul |
Report |
Tries: Adrian Lam Goals: David Furner |
| Bradford Bulls | Position | Wigan Warriors | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Withers
|
Fullback | 1 | Kris Radlinski
|
 Tevita Vaikona
|
Winger | 2 |  Brett Dallas
| |
| Scott Naylor
|
Centre | 3 | Gary Connolly
| |
| Graham Mackay
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Centre |  Steve Renouf
| ||
| 5 | Leon Pryce
|
Winger | 5 | Brian Carney
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| 6 | Henry Paul
|
Stand Off | Matthew Johns
| |
| 7 | Robbie Paul
|
Scrum half | 7 |  Adrian Lam
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| Joe Vagana
|
Prop | Terry O'Connor
| ||
| 9 | James Lowes
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Hooker | 9 | Terry Newton
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| Brian McDermott
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Prop | Harvey Howard
| ||
| Daniel Gartner
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2nd Row | Mick Cassidy
| ||
| 11 | Jamie Peacock
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2nd Row | David Furner
| |
| Mike Forshaw
|
Loose forward | 13 | Andy Farrell
| |
| Paul Deacon
|
Interchange | Paul Johnson
| ||
| Shane Rigon
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Interchange | Chris Chester
| ||
| Paul Anderson
|
Interchange | Denis Betts
| ||
| Stuart Fielden
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Interchange | Neil Cowie
| ||
| Brian Noble
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Coach | Stuart Raper
| ||
References
editExternal links
edit
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