Toronto Wolfpack have one foot in Super League after Gareth O’Brien’s latest dramatic drop goal sealed an historic win at the champions.
O’Brien was the man that kept Salford in the top flight with his stunning golden point effort against Hull KR in the 2016 Million Pound Game.
And his 40-metre effort put the ambitious Wolfpack in the final automatic top flight place in the Qualifiers after a dramatic night at Headingley.
They can still be denied by a Hull KR win of 13 points or more against Widnes on Sunday – which would then move them into a Million Pound Game showdown of their own in Canada.
And coach Paul Rowley admitted his side will become Vikings fans for the day as they look to complete a whirlwind two-year ascent to the top flight.
Rowley said: “It’s a good day for all our ex-Widnes players because we’re all Widnes fans now so they’re happy.
“I’ll be following the game, 100 percent.
“We had a train booked, a flight booked and a pub booked for next week.
“We’ve ditched the train now so we’re either on a flight or in the nearest pub.
“We’ll fly back on Tuesday if things go as expected.”
Despite defeat, the Rhinos’ Super League status is assured on points difference, but that was not enough to appease director of rugby Kevin Sinfield after a year of struggle.
He said: “I’m hugely disappointed and it probably sums up our year.
“Look, we’ve survived and that’s probably the biggest positive.
“But it’s pretty clear we have to make some changes, and that isn’t easy to do.
“We haven’t been good enough all year, that’s the truth, and let’s do something about it.”
The Wolfpack led 12-10 after a tense first half, with tries to Cory Paterson and Nick Rawsthorne cancelling out efforts for Tom Briscoe and Liam Sutcliffe.
Jimmy Keinhorst edged Leeds ahead on his final appearance for the club but Matty Russell levelled the scores before O’Brien stepped forward with his crucial contribution.
Rowley added: “Gaz has a knack of popping up at the right time.
“It was a great drop goal and fair play to Gaz again.
“He’s not the biggest player in the world but he has so much respect from the staff and players at the club because he’s a tough lad.
“To do what he did in that moment with the drop goal was worth its weight in gold for us, and did the job on a memorable, memorable day for the club.
"Whether it’s going to be enough we’ll wait and see, but it’s the biggest victory in our short existence.”
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