I don't agree at all that it became the main talking point, though it might have been with you, obviously I have no idea. Unfortunately it is symptomatic of the game, sport & society to concentrate on the negatives & avoid the real issues. If you want a critical appraisal of the game it was poor quality, a Saints team lacking 3 top players have developed a style that has got them to the GF but won few admirers & won't win them the final. Cats are showing the signs of a hard campaign, their most lethal & exciting player was knackered early on & they suffered other knocks. The officiating had no impact on the game & didn't alter my enjoyment one iota. What we should be discussing is the poor level of quality in the play-offs this year. Tonight's game is the only real stand out game. I fear the final will be turgid, it's the only way Saints will make it respectable.

To be fair, I thought les Cats got by far the worst of the decisions but I can't imagine there was any 'conspiracy'. Can you imagine that even the RFL would consider themselves capable of organising one? Unfortunate when you're badly done to in a play-off or cup-tie as it is terminal, and much as it's hard to take [tell us about it but it's just how things go sometimes.

I'd be interested to see how bad the officiating was perceived to be if we had different commentators

The penalty count ended 7-7 according to the Super League website. The Dragons ran out of juice after 3 massive weeks of tough rugby.

Am I the only person that thinks that Saints look very ordinary?! Wigan or Wire will win the league in my opinion.

I think you would need different people picking the video replays to change perceptions.

No, see my post. How the feck Leeds, with the quality of their squad, failed to make the final, or even the semis, is beyond belief. In fact it's a joke & a disgrace.

Winning the play-offs or even getting to the final, is only a little to do with quality, even though having a good team obviously helps. Like most cup competitions it's much more to do with keeping most of your 'best' players available, the luck with the draw, bounce of the ball, being lucky with the odd decision [or two and it just being your day.

Why do I suspect you knew that already..It is a J & D though..

The officiating of last nights game was nothing short of disgraceful - even "sky ref pundit" Cummins was perplexed by some of the decisons!!

Catalans did look knackered in the 2nd half but i didn't think much of Saints - i expect them to get well beaten next week by the winners of tonights game - i'm going for Wigan but it could be close..

Lets just hope the game is not spoilt with incompetence from the officials like last night!!

This play off series has been poor when you consider Leeds, the challenge cup winners, lost to Catalan who then went on to lose to a very ordinary Saints team, having beaten a very ordinary Huddersfield in between. Saints, although without three of their best players through injury, have the weakest squad to make a grand final that I can remember. I think whoever plays Saints in the final will beat them.

I literally don't even know who's in the playoffs that's the monumental level to which I've turned my back on Superleague. Starbug would be very proud.

strange how just this ordinary team finished top and won the lls...then go on to appear in the grand final..(without 3 of their key players) for most of the season!......you just keep right on thinking son..

Same here. I didn't even know there was a game on last night.

I only have eyes for the NRL at the moment. Agent Provocateur would be proud.

It's looking like a Cas v Wakey final.

You've gone native already! I expect reference only to Super Duper League from now on

It's ordinary relative to your previous squads in the last two decades. Can you honestly say that your current squad is as good as any of the Grand Final squads that you had from 2006-2011? I doubt it. Is it as good as the squad you had for the Grand Final in 1999, 2000 or 2002? I doubt it.

no i agree with you about our squad...but with a bad squad or not we finished top and reached the grand final...so what does it say about all the teams that finished beneath us?
all their good squads did them no good whatsoever!..(our 2006 achievements will never be bettered in my opinion when we won everything) this squad compared to that is dire....same as the bulls ..what a team you used to have with the paul bros..volcano..etc...and it really saddened me to see you go down because ive had some good times and banter when i used to visit odsal..what annoys me is the warrington and the pies fans seem to think theyve won it already..anything can happen in a one off game..and if we lose again what a record we will have...all those grand final losses..( a record no one wants)..lol...anyway hope you lot bounce back up at the first attempt back in the superleague where you really belong...good luck for next season..

OOhhh you can't say that!! SL gets better and better [ievery[/i year- 'it's as simple as that,' ©Stevo

Too right. And I also have taken to spamming RL world on twitter whenever they mention superdooperleague. I'm going to be a persistently irritating, obstructive, petulant, abusive, irksome and immature get of a Bradford fan for the whole time we are out of the Super dooper pooper scooper cutey flutey bumhole league.

The current top teams are, on paper at least, nowhere near as talented as the top teams of 10-15 years ago. However we could attract decent overseas players and hang onto our best British players back then. Not anymore.

RL has never been great at attracting crowds to anything other than real showpiece games. The top 8 play offs are a turn off for many. I’d go back to a top 5. It’d exclude the poorer teams and guarantee better games in theory without some of the embarrassing scorelines seen this year.

I might even be bothered to watch them if I thought I might see an entertaining game.

Good point. And it shows that all the other sides have declined in talent also. I actually thought St Helens looked the real deal early on but injuries to your key players have weakened you slightly.

By the way thanks for the end messages, and good luck in the final!!

Damn I didn't know. They've got to get the message out to me.

The contrast with the NRL is staggering, where in this year's final, the Bulldogs play the Rabbitohs, who finished 7th and 3rd in the regular season respectively, but were only separated by 4 competition points. In comparison, in super league 3rd (Hudds) and 7th (Catalan) were separated by 8 points. It's a much closer competition over in the NRL and it is very hard to predict who the grand finalists will be, even when the top 8 have been decided.

Since the glory days at the start of SL you have the increase of money and professionalism in union, and recently the higher salary cap in Oz pulling players away

Who cares about the champagne swilling show ponies of crap super duper league?

I only care about real rugby league. The grand final for that is Sunday.

A somewhat harsh statement Mr Maccbull but understandable given we will all be watching a lower standard version of rugby , at least from the opposition , than we are accustomed to. All be it for only a short while. I look forward to sharing a cherry brandy with you at some god forsaken outpost in the new year !