Saddened!'s Grand Final review : Sat Oct 02, 2010 9:46 pm  

I think everyone with an ounce of sense knew the outcome of tonights game once it was decided which teams were competing. Our season ended the day Leon Pryce was confirmed to be out for the season. He is our best player by an enormous distance and although Cunningham has led the team magnificently we were never going to have enough creativity to break down Wigan's defense at Old Trafford. Throw in Custard Creme Eastmond getting a season ending injury through being brought back too soon against the Giants and it was never going to be a nice farewell for Keiron.

Before I start the post mortem let me congratulate Wigan. Their defense tonight was absolutely magnificent and the likes of Leuleuai and Tomkins were the difference tonight. Their coach deserves the credit for that season they've just had. He has come into Super League and has obviously done his homework. Defense like that can win you titles if executed with the professionalism and commitment Wigan do. They get 3 or 4 into every tackle and try to hurt the ball carrier, allowing them to dominate the play the ball and deny any go forward at all to the opposition, which has always been pretty key in Super League. Add to that some very well organised attacking moves (Which are all different than the trash Noble had them doing) and the individual brilliance of Tomkins and they thoroughly deserve the title this year. Having said that I think the calls that they will now dominate the next 5 years are way off. Those players are not all that fantastic it's the style of play, the organisation and the defending that has seen them win this season. The gang tackling, the intensity in defense and the resulting dominance of the PTB. These things IMO will sweep through the game as trends, every club in Super League will be trying to play like that next season.

As for us, hopefully the number of changes will be a positive. New coach, several new faces with some more to come surely with a few more rumoured to be leaving/having no contract extension signed. Today was typical Potter if I'm honest. We competed well and were certainly in the game throughout the second half, one try before the 65 minute mark would have made it very interesting. The pack IMO did well, resisting the bully boy tactics, doing well in completing the sets and we had enough chances to win that game tonight despite the lack of half backs. Had Pryce played we would have won, simple as that, had Pryce and Eastmond played we would have won quite comfortably. Neither play we lose. It was always going to be like that.

For what it's worth now I think Potter has done a remarkable job in getting that squad to the Grand Final, despite us not having Eastmond for most of the season and having no half backs for the business end of the season. He made mistakes tonight as he has done throughout his time here. His decision to leave Gardner out is a mystery to me. He may be awful, but he's very solid defensively and he wouldn't have been left floundering for those tries down the left tonight. As soon as I saw the bench I knew it was not going to end well, that must be the weakest bench any side has ever fielded in a Grand Final. Three kids and an interchange hooker? It's not going to work. Potter's interchanges were also very poor, leaving Cunningham and Graham off the field for far too long at the crucial stage either side of half time where the game was won and lost. Potter must be congratulated for his role at the club, he has done well. Rather than a Wigan/Bradford esque fall from grace after our legendary players slowly departed we have remained competitive. People may say we've bottled the last four finals, but we've not. We've just been the second best team in Super League throughout. We are now through our rebuilding phase and will be competitive next year if they make another signing or two (Or resign Flannery and Meli). We will not win anything again but we won't be too far off. Even though it hurts, it's better to be second than dropping right down the table whilst rebuilding I guess?

Well done Wigan

Thanks Mick and all the departing players for your efforts and especially KC, who retires beaten in battle but having won the war.

Re: Saddened!'s Grand Final review : Sat Oct 02, 2010 11:48 pm  

I dont care that Pryce and the biscuit boned diva were out.

What i care about is the fact it was the grand final and the team just cba. No pressure what so ever on the wigan player fielding the high kick. Trundling up each set of six and letting wigan make easy yards every, single, drive.

Graham summed it before the game kicked off, putting his shirt over his head, the poor little mite. Did the fireworks hurt your ears? Aww

How the players had the nerve to clap the fans after the game is beyond me. Taking the pi££

Re: Saddened!'s Grand Final review : Sat Oct 02, 2010 11:55 pm  

MacBlondie wrote:

I dont care that Pryce and the biscuit boned diva were out.

What i care about is the fact it was the grand final and the team just cba. No pressure what so ever on the wigan player fielding the high kick. Trundling up each set of six and letting wigan make easy yards every, single, drive.

Graham summed it before the game kicked off, putting his shirt over his head, the poor little mite. Did the fireworks hurt your ears? Aww

How the players had the nerve to clap the fans after the game is beyond me. Taking the pi££

You don't think the players deserve some credit for getting to OT without our first choice halfbacks? We judge them on the whole season, not one match. Wigan have been the best team throughout the season and tonight they showed why that was the case. Second best is hard to take again but we were there, against the odds.

I hope tomorrow when you've calmed down or sobered up you can appreciate that.

Re: Saddened!'s Grand Final review : Sat Oct 02, 2010 11:58 pm  

MickeyMo wrote:

You don't think the players deserve some credit for getting to OT without our first choice halfbacks? We judge them on the whole season, not one match. Wigan have been the best team throughout the season and tonight they showed why that was the case. Second best is hard to take again but we were there, against the odds.

I hope tomorrow when you've calmed down or sobered up you can appreciate that.

I dont mind losing. It happens. But to put out such a spineless display rages me.

Re: Saddened!'s Grand Final review : Sat Oct 02, 2010 11:59 pm  

MacBlondie wrote:

I dont care that Pryce and the biscuit boned diva were out.

What i care about is the fact it was the grand final and the team just cba. No pressure what so ever on the wigan player fielding the high kick. Trundling up each set of six and letting wigan make easy yards every, single, drive.

Graham summed it before the game kicked off, putting his shirt over his head, the poor little mite. Did the fireworks hurt your ears? Aww

How the players had the nerve to clap the fans after the game is beyond me. Taking the pi££

Without the half backs to control and lead and create a team can look very pedestrian. You cannot tell me the likes of Wello, KC, Wilkin and Jammer in particular weren't trying?

The aftermath of a game always sees the winners championing their players and talking it up to the point where reality is rewritten and suddenly it was the most one sided mis-match ever. The defeated team is suddenly judged terrible and lacking in heart and effort by the fans.

Re: Saddened!'s Grand Final review : Sun Oct 03, 2010 1:09 am  

Remarkable effort to get to OT without aither first choice halfbacks.

Potter's done well and we'll be glad to have him.

And I don't think it was a case of the Saints players not being ar$ed, you can only go so far without your 6 & 7, and Wigan were excellent tonight - hardly any errors, not many penalties either.

Instead of all the criticism, Saints deserve praise for getting to 5 consecutive grand final's. Yes you may have lost, but at least you got there which is more than can be said for 12 other teams.

Re: Saddened!'s Grand Final review : Sun Oct 03, 2010 3:45 am  

its like bleedin groundhog day on here for the last 4 years.
same discussion on why we did our (expected) usuall loss in the grand final.
wigan played some great rugby last night and deserved their win..for some strange reason we always seem to save our worst performances for the grand final.
i suggest next season try not to make the playoffs because its coming that way if we get there again whoever the opposition may be they will be rubbing their hands. 4 losses on the trot is a disgrace. i'd rather not get there at all than to keep putting up with that.
so next season why dont we change our name from the entertainers to the laughing stock because thats what wer'e fast becoming..

Re: Saddened!'s Grand Final review : Sun Oct 03, 2010 9:51 am  

To defend like Wigan do for 80 minutes you need fitness,something which Saints don't seem to have any more.

Re: Saddened!'s Grand Final review : Sun Oct 03, 2010 10:07 am  

you lost because you didn't have any pace in your side. thought your forwards would be making alot more metres than they did tbh.

Re: Saddened!'s Grand Final review : Sun Oct 03, 2010 10:31 am  

back2back 09/10 wrote:

you lost because you didn't have any pace in your side. thought your forwards would be making alot more metres than they did tbh.

I agree with you about the lack of pace.
Personally I think our forwards are up there with the best but without the first choice half backs(not making excuses Wigan where far better) and a serious lack of pace in the backs caused our downfall.