MATT Dufty came within fingertips of snatching a late victory for Warrington Wolves as they went down 24-22 at Leeds.
Dufty had started the match with a try in the corner and his searing break set up Matty Ashton’s first half score.
But he just couldn’t keep hold of a Stefan Ratchford kick that sat up for him in the dying seconds to score the try that would have won it.
Warrington looked brighter than they have for much of this now eight-game losing streak but still couldn’t break that run, which means the Rhinos move within two points of them in the Super League table.
Inside three minutes, Paul Vaughan took the ball down the short side on the last and Dufty dropped the ball on to his right foot and managed to touch it down in goal, verified by the video referee, which was in play due to the game being broadcast on the RFL’s Our League app.
They got their money’s worth out of the video referee in the early exchanges, with a possible Josh Thewlis try in the right corner chalked off as his right foot had just brushed the touchline.
A Dufty break through the middle of the Leeds defence deserved better, with George Williams impeded as a support runner, and Danny Walker was looking lively around the ruck.
After a Josh Drinkwater kick on the last tackle piled the pressure on Leeds, Warrington let them off the hook by conceding a penalty on the last tackle which enabled Leeds to get out of their own half.
A repeat set later and they were in, Cameron Smith’s short pass finding Wigan-bound Sam Walters to cross and edge Leeds in front 6-4.
Warrington made an immediate response though, Dufty fielding an Aidan Sezer kick and then breaking from inside his own 30 metres, this time finding Ashton in support to put them in front and they led 10-6 at half-time.
Ratchford added a penalty goal early in the second half as the Wolves once again came out strongly, but Leeds levelled things up against the run of play when David Fusitua jumped highest to claim a Sezer kick.
The Wolves restored their lead before the hour though when Ratchford took on Williams’ pass to cross, and they then piled on the pressure as they looked to move out of sight.
But they were hit with a killer blow on the counter attack as Smith punctured a line through the middle and was able to find Luke Hooley in support, and then an extraordinary offload by Nene Macdonald close to the line set up James Bentley meaning Leeds had turned a 12-16 deficit in to a 24-16 lead courtesy of Rhyse Martin’s extras.
Matty Nicholson’s try with six minutes to go gave Warrington hope of a comeback, and they came agonisingly close to pinching it at the end when with seconds left, Ratchford dabbed a kick through and it sat up for Dufty who just couldn’t pull it in under pressure from a Leeds defender.
Leeds: Hooley, Fusitu’a, Martin, Macdonald, Handley, Johnson, Sezer, Oledzki, O’Connor, Walters, McDonnell, Bentley, Smith. Subs: Newman, Lisone, Donaldson, Holroyd.
Warrington: Dufty, Thewlis, Mata’utia, Ratchford, Ashton, Williams, Drinkwater, Mikaele, Walker, Vaughan, Currie, Nicholson, Crowther. Subs: Harrison, Clark, Philbin, Dudson.
Dufty x Ashton 🤩@WarringtonRLFC with a fantastic try live on #OURLEAGUE 👏#SuperLeague #SLLeeWar pic.twitter.com/bprrT3E5FO
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) August 20, 2023
