Last updated 16:08, Wednesday, 13 August 2008

GRAND Final? – it’s a name of which some of us dare not speak. It’s premature and tempting providence to say the least. Especially when memories of the two losing finals under Steve McCormack are never far away.

But then you can’t blame Sky TV for hyping things up! It seems that every time they turn on the cameras, Haven turn on the style.

It all started in May when McNally-inspired Whitehaven dethroned title favourites Salford at the Recre, followed more recently by an equally sensational away win over Super League bound Celtic Crusaders at The Brewery Field on channel S4C, then again last Thursday when they virtually destroyed any serious top-six challenge from Sheffield Eagles.

Eagles made it tough in the first half but they could have done with a screen break as Haven cut loose and cut them to ribbons.

To say the former Great Britain props Barry McDermott and Terry O’Connor were impressed is an under-statement. The pair make a great comedy double act these days but as knowledgeable Sky pundits the duo weren’t joking over what they clearly saw as Whitehaven’s potential to make a real go of it in the play offs.

The question kept coming: Are they up for another Grand Final?

Wisely and realistically, skipper Gary Broadbent, twice beaten Grand Finalist with Haven, urged caution, saying: “We mustn’t get carried away.”

Haven’s 52-8 eclipse of The Eagles, especially the scintillating second half performance, certainly fired hopes to do better than last season at least. Haven finished fourth in 2007 but Leigh came and knocked them out of the play-offs, it was also a K.O. for Dave Rotheram as coach – all in front of the Sky cameras!

Will Leigh prove a stumbling block this time round? Haven take them on this Sunday. Can they spoil the Centurions party at what is expected to be the last regular match at dear old Hilton Park.

It may depend on which Whitehaven side turns up – hopefully not the one that lost inexplicably at Dewsbury.

Crusaders did Haven a favour by dismantling Leigh last weekend but there’s no doubt Ged Stokes’ side has what it takes to complete the double and keep the momentum going.

Any side with Mark Roberts and Toa Kohe-Love in the centres will pose a strong attacking threat but the biggest may come at half back where a certain Dennis Moran continues to weave magic.

Memories abide over the way the little Aussie jack-in-the-box led the Haven’s destruction by Widnes in last season’s Northern Rail Cup final nightmare, but they contained him well en-ough in Leigh’s 28-16 defeat at the Recre in early May.

Haven have a lot of firepower up front – “they blew the Eagles to bits”, enthused Barry McDermott. Hopefully the dynamite won’t be defused too much by Marc Jackson’s two-match ban.

But if the forwards apply creativity to power as they did to subdue Sheffield then they can get on the front foot and negate Moran just as they did their Halifax nemesis, Graham Holroyd.

Leigh, of course, scupp-ered Haven’s chances so cruelly in the 2004 Grand Final, thanks largely to another No.6 master Tommy Martyn, then Brad Davis for Castleford the season after.

Haven have a new master of their own in Tane Manihera, another veteran at 34, but you can’t beat brain power. The evergreen Kiwi is playing with real joy as is his halfback partner, Leroy Joe, while of course a certain master McNally will be chafing at the bit to get back into the act on his return from Down Under. The 17-year-old scrum half enhanced his glowing reputation with a try scoring England under-18 debut against the cream of Australia’s youth in a much improved Second Test performance.

McNally could prove the youthful X factor in the play offs to complement the well-honed skills of Manihera and the versatile Joe.

Messrs Baz and Tez made reference to Dad’s Army in their TV commentary especially as Haven’s half-backs boasted a combined age of 77 but they weren’t really having a laugh. As Barry said: Who could leave them out of any side?”

The force is definitely with Haven (no greater one than Howard Hill, also gone 30) so it would be easy to look ahead to the final “regular” home game with Widnes’ visit over Bank holiday weekend. But we won’t. One game at a time. As Ged Stokes says: “I keep telling the boys that the next game is the most important, they must be sick of me saying it but it’s true.”