Super League Grand Final - The Big Debates.

Was he onside?

That's the big debate that has arose after Leeds clinched their third successive Grand Final victory 18-10 against the team they beat in 2007, 2008 and now, 2009. On a side note however, it was interesting to note the attendance for the match was the lowest in Grand Final history since Sean Long kicked the winning drop goal against Bradford in 2002. Was it the economic recession that has caused such a steep decline, or was it the fans voting with their feet after three straight Leeds-St Helens Grand Finals? But enough about the attendances. We all know Rugby League fans can't complain enough if there's a drop in the number of bums on seats.

The match itself had its fair share of controversy, not least the winning try eight minutes from full time. But like a soap-opera, we at A Tap on the Twenty like to unfold other unimportant plot lines before the big event gets dissected like a frog in a school science class. So instead we'll begin by having a stab at Kyle Eastmond, an action plenty of opposition fans would like a go at for real.

You may remember an article posted last year by yours truly about the amount of young players getting too much hype early in their careers. Well I'm afraid to say that it seemed I was right about young Kyle. He is not the saviour of English Rugby League we all seem to think he is. Pouncing on top of a kick that should have been safely collected by Scott Donald is not enough to be hailed the next best thing. We have got used to the sheer brilliance of Sean Long so much that after he broke his jaw earlier in the season, Eastmond was put in as replacement and flaws were being discovered in St Helens' game plan left, right and centre. If he is an example of the modern day half back, then he has no creative awareness and his kicking game is one of the worst I have seen in a St Helens shirt. If he is the example of a modern day half back in Super League, I bet Darren Lockyer will be smiling like a Cheshire cat on his flight to this side of the world for the Four Nations.

The next point is about video referee decisions, and despite the full use of technology they still can't seem to get a decision right no matter how small. It was a minor event in the Grand Final, but as a newly qualified match official it caused my blood to boil beyond the need for a thermometer. Kyle Eastmond's disallowed try was indeed the correct call. But Phil Bentham ruled that Eastmond was out of play after hitting the corner post, despite his foot being marginally on the touch line five metres beforehand. In which case, Leeds should have been awarded a scrum on the ten metre line. Instead they were given an optional twenty metre restart. A call which has the difference of ten metres might seem small, but when you consider that half the Leeds attacking line would be in the scrum for the first tackle it becomes significant that the attacking side couldn't have full use of all thirteen players.

And finally, the big debate. It wasn't quite in the same league as Jordon Tansey's infamous offside in Cardiff two years ago, but it was enough to cause controversy as Leeds' knowledge of the offside rule seems to be less than that of St Helens' in recent years. It was a good piece of play from both McGuire and Smith. McGuire saw the gap behind the defensive line and the kick was weighed to perfection under pressure. Smith darted from McGuire's right side, collects the ball before immediately side-stepping the scrambled St Helens defence to dive under the posts. All well and good and congratulations Leeds, except if you weren't a bunch of cheats and scored from an offside position.

But like Leeds on the day of the game, Stuart Cummings' defence of his official was solid. Although it did make me spit out half my coffee in disgust when I read about it in Monday morning's trade newspaper. The fact the camera was slightly ahead of play was used as an excuse to give the try. But if Bentham had used the different shades of grass as a marker, he would know there is more of a lighter shade of grass behind Smith than McGuire, before going back to a darker shade on the Old Trafford turf.

But after all the post match talk about being offisde or onside, Leeds were the better side at the end of the day with Kevin Sinfield giving an man of the match performance. But as he collected the Super League trophy, was it just me or did you think there was a hint of "Goodbye Leeds" in his after-match speech?