We’ve sniffed this out for weeks. We gave them a game at their place in the league and we showed we could mix it with them quite easily and they hadn’t realised we weren’t bothered by their qualities after that night. Saints did what we did in 2011 and just presumed they’d win at OT. We cemented our top four place and we’ve just managed the squad since then.

Saints have been quite average since July. That’s a long time to coast and when you coast it’s hard to get your form back. Saints could not handle Wire’s intensity tonight and they had big name players who should offer their wages for the week back to the fans.

Barba has been a joke for months. Total waste of a place in their team.

As for us, I’ll enjoy tonight but not gloat as winning a semifinal is nothing to celebrate. Again, I wouldn’t expect us to beat either Wigan or Cas at OT as they have shown they are consistently better sides than us over the course of the season... but you don’t need consistency in a one-off game. So you never know!

NOW THE WIRE!

It was a little bit mischievous the Westwood comment in truth but in the weekly rounds and with his record, I could’ve seen them having a look. They won’t ban him for a final though.

Benny will be ok

If Saints had won I reckon Percival would have a bit of a sweat on this week though, that bang on BMM was proper borderline

You sure about that petal?

Regards

Warrington Wolves

Hard to see any result other than a Wigan win in the final. Unless Cas are going to pull an unexpected performance out of the bag tomorrow, Wigan should take that at their place.

And while Warrington were deserved winners tonight, it was hard to avoid the conclusion that they played to nearly their best, while Saints were suffering the same mediocre form which - as others have pointed out - has been ongoing now since mid-season. Wigan will offer a lot more in attack than Saints did, and their defence out wide is far better than Saints who carry a non-tackling scrum half and a non-tackling fullback.


Saints have a big problem though. They cannot win when there is any pressure or expectation on them. The only big game they've won in the last seven years was the 2014 Grand Final, and notably, nobody expected them to do so and they were rank outsiders. In literally every single big game for the last seven years where Saints were expected to win, they've lost. That's the worst record of choking in my rugby league watching history of 30 years.

Saints have had too much their own way all season. Not enough adversity. Similiar to cas last season. Holbrook's gleeful face beaming down from the stands, everything wrapped up perfectly in a neat little package. Saints fans learnt a profound lesson tonight, a profound lesson.

Typical Saints response by there young players diving back holding his head, ala Richardsons typical show boating. Concentrate on the game girls.

The problem with saints is that they have a yellow belly, the pack is soft as wire and catalans have shown us.

you are joking right? Nearly our best! Did you watch Ratchford try to give you the game, along with Westwood, Hughes and G King? You were awful tonight...awful against a bang average Warrington team who tried their best to throw it at times. Did Roby and Barba even play?

I wonder how he’ll be thought of in the future now by the Saints fans. A few months back they were saying he was the best overseas player since the likes of Meninga or Lyon.

They didn't offer him enough opportunities near the white line.

He was great right up until his agent landed him a deal back in Oz. After which time he became much less effective. Still fantastic to watch for the first 2/3rds of the season, and any other club would have loved to have him. But once the Oz deal was on the table, he clearly wasn't the same player.

Roy enjoy your off season its just started. Leave the big finals to the big teams.

How could Barba be right up there, a full back that cant tackle will never be up anywhere. Hes good with the ball against the lesser teams. Thats it. They guy has no heart.

Not sure why Barba is getting so much stick, it was a forwards game, very little chances for any of the backs, he didn't stand out but didn't do a lot wrong either

His efforts in defence on Lineham left a lot to be desired. Why be a Full Back when you can't tackle?

Barba was pathetic tonight...MoS my ...the two games that really matter...both Semi finals....Barba Papa might have been a better option

Well I’m gutted. Just got in from work and the game hasn’t recorded.

Anyone of the three left in can win it, Wigan beating Castleford is far from a foregone conclusion, I’m quite nervous about it to be honest.

Off to redvee now to have a giggle while I still can.

I remember reading Red Vee, straight after their semi loss to Cats, and one sage poster said....

....we'd better win the Grand Final, or this will be the biggest bottle job in history....

What a wise man


As they say in Elephant Lane.....bokkle jobs

Where is King James?

Regards

King Wolfie

Are Saints the RL equivalent of Liverpool?

Ratchford can't tackle! Unfortunately it's the way of the modern fullback

What's your point? I'm not a massive fan of Ratchford either. Comes up with boneheaded plays and is nornally a one man band. Also half the time looks for bodies to dodge when he could just run forward. Case in point when he picked up that loose ball and was off down the field, side steps one and then instead of taking Barba on the outside he cuts in again and gets caught. He's good but he's also a liability more than some believe.

And against 12 men for 75 minutes!

Well he managed to bring down Makinson and Thompson one-on-one last night, when a miss in either case would have been a Saints try. Of course Makinson just needed to pass the ball, but he didn't.