The Liam Farrell Column: Brothers in arms

I've spoken to my brother Connor to try and find out if he is playing.
Liam Farrell (right) with brother ConnorLiam Farrell (right) with brother Connor
Liam Farrell (right) with brother Connor

He’s keeping his cards close to his chest but, given the threats he’s been making, I imagine he is!

He’s been trying to make a joke of it, saying he’s going to take my head off!

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He likes to take the mick. I’ve not been giving it back, I’m not really into that, but it will be interesting because we’ve never played against each other before.

Connor will probably come off the bench onto my side, so it’ll be fun to play against him.

We’re used to playing against old mates, so it won’t be too much different - I think it’s a bigger thing for my mum. I’m not sure who she’ll want to win!

I know Connor has enjoyed his loan spell at Widnes, and with so many ex-Wigan players in his squad, we’re not taking them lightly.

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They always seem to pick up against us, so I don’t buy into this talk that they’ve ‘nothing to play for’. They’d love to beat Wigan at the DW, and we’ve prepared for a really hard game.

It was hard to watch the Challenge Cup Final, but I did.

Even though I was disappointed not to be playing, I managed to put that aside and enjoy the game for what it was.

I know it was billed as one of the best finals in years, with little between the sides, and it delivered.

After an hour I thought Warrington were going to comfortably come home. But it changed when Kurt Gidley and Ben Westwood went off, Hull FC got some momentum and they did well to take the lead through two kick-plays and then hang onto it.

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Danny Houghton’s tackle to deny Ben Currie with two minutes to go became the defining moment, and credit to him. On the flip-side, I felt for Ben, and I’m sure he was feeling it afterwards even though it wasn’t his fault. He was one of the main reasons they were in with a shot of winning the game in the first place - he’s a very impressive player.

I wasn’t sure beforehand who I wanted to win, but credit to Hull, they’re a big and ambitious club and from the sport’s perspective, it’s good to have someone else up there challenging for trophies.

The big question now is whether it has an impact on their Super League form.

I’ve been in that position and it is hard to pick yourself up after Wembley. I can’t put my finger on the reason why - it’s a strange one.

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I’m not sure if it’s just an emotional hangover after channelling so much energy into one game.

But we picked up for the play-offs in 2013 and, last year, Leeds recovered from their dip in form to win both the league leaders’ shield and the Grand Final.

If the Challenge Cup Final had finished as a draw - and it nearly did - it would have gone to a replay next week.

I know that scenario would have been good for us, but seriously, that has to be one of the worst rulings I’ve seen. Imagine having to go through all that again! And to play it at a regular Super League ground on a Wednesday night.... it just doesn’t seem right. I don’t understand why every round is golden-point, but not the final.