so you were happy with them having more tackles and starting the game 20 yards further down the pitch?

100% This.

That is part of the baggage that comes from the benefit of having a full defensive structure against a team with the potential to blow any team out on the flanks...so that is a yes...20 metre further up field with a zero tackle...
There was a period in 2011 when we were so good and team fit, like Saints now, that Tony Smith instructed us to us to kick fairly deep but to keep the ball live over kicking for touch, as our stamina would play into fold.
Our defence was so good on Saturday that it wouldn't make any difference 20 or 40 yard restart.

And I agree as well.....well done dec

I have mentioned this before about whether the fans expectation of being a local lad, and coupled with the fact that His dad was also on the Warrington Club staff was weighing him down performance wise.

Well the story about Patton and his dad Lee Westwood was put out in the Warrington Guardian the week before the final.

Coincidence that Patton ups his game in the CC final?

Not looked at the site for months. Nothing changes. Our style is too structured and does not suit Patton. Austin struggled once teams worked him out and achieved little in the games prior to his injury. Patton is a more creative player who thrives on runners and needs to be given his head. My mates reckon our pack needs some big additions to create to some real goforward. Even Briers did not shine until he was behind a great pack of forwards. Saturdays game plan was perfect with our current resources.

Oh Peakey you are so last week.

Plenty of Wigan lads play for Wigan - where the expectation is much higher - and manage to deliver. The reality is he's a player with a limited ceiling. Good enough to be a back up player in a good side, or a starter in a lower SL team. He's not a top player who would be first choice for an extended period of time in a top side, which is why the club signed Austin and Widdop and he will be their back up.

But he is the best Warrington born halfback in decades and he has won a Challenge Cup with his home town club, something all of us on this forum will have dreamed about and he's gone and done it so fair play to him, he is living the dream and nobody can take that trophy away from him.

Patton has his moments but not consistantly, he's doing a good job for us and i can't really complain. I was made up with him when we played wigan and he took the line on, fair enough it didn't work out try wise but he got through. I'd love to see him do that more, and his kicking game has definately improved. And i never knew Lee Westwood was his dad

Dec Patton has CC medal from a match few of us thought we would win and he played a part in that victory. The least we can do is give him a break for the rest of the season.

A Patton amnesty it is.

Especially delighted for all the Warringtonian lads. What a dream come true. As sally cinnamon said, he's achieved something we forum folk could only ever dream of. Fair play.

I thought he had a decent final. The only mistake I recall being when he booted the ball out on the full from within his own 20 gifting Saints their try.

...and that was on the back of the forwards not being able to get out of their own 20 and a saints player being wrapped around Dec at the time of his kick.

Dec is staying to fight for a place in team in 2020 rumor has it. Hope it's correct as think he's not done a lot wrong in his career with us and gets a lot of pressure put on him being a home town lad.

Well on Saturdays performance....that was better than anything Smith has shown currently.
Although I'm very aware he hasn't had a gelling period.

Does that mean we have signed Anthony then?

That could be true, but next year we will have Widdop and Austin in the halves so unless there is an injury, Patton would only get a run when one of the other two was being rested. And even then he will be in competition for that with Riley Dean. Even though we will have the reserves next season, I would have thought Patton would prefer to look for another club where he is guaranteed a first team game. Of course that would mean his new club would need to stump up the ££ (or player exchange). Perhaps Toronto, if they get promoted ?

Offiah was all over Patton following the cup presentation like a wasp in a vineyard.

As far as I am aware Patton has a year to run on his contract (not that it counts for much these days). At the start of 2019 he was the third choice halfback who was being utilised off the bench as cover / interchange dummy half. With Widdop and Austin as first choice halfbacks next year he'll be back in the same position. Maybe being understudy to Austin, Widdop and Clark playing for your home town club with at least one winner's medal in the draw and with a real chance to win silverware in 2020 isn't such an unattractive proposition.

I think this is right. People will spend the off-season bellowing 'he isn't first-choice! Send him to Rochdale!'

In practice he will play 12-15 games, and more if either Austin or Widdop gets a major injury.

His stock for the rest of the season rose tonight . . .

If Patton had played half as bad as Smith tonight, there would be a 20 page thread on here by now!

At a point there he was on camera with a big cheesy grin, either he was still in recovery after almost drowning in certain beverages or he was thinking who the feck is Matty Smith?

We would have been better served giving Riley Dean a go

Personally after the two non-appearances from Matty Smith so far I would like us to go with the spine of Ratchford, Austin, Patton and Clark.

be sound next season with Ratchford, Austin, Widdop and Patton backing up.