Terrible decision not to check the grounding. I'm bemused how he found it not worthy to send it upstairs to the video ref.
Momentum changer. It was all Saints up till then.
Terrible decision not to check the grounding. I'm bemused how he found it not worthy to send it upstairs to the video ref.
Momentum changer. It was all Saints up till then.
Said on the other thread. It’s a disgraceful decision not to check it. We didn’t help ourselves after that but it could have been a completely different game. Utterly utterly disgraceful
If Hicks gives that its a different game but lets not look for excuses. We got beat fair n square overall
screaming in the family corner, scaring the kiddies
Obviously didn't want any more death threats
Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
RFL Championship / Super League (17) - 1931–32, 1952–53, 1958–59, 1965–66, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1974–75, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
Challenge Cup (13) - 1955–56, 1960–61, 1965–66, 1971–72, 1975–76, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2021
World Club Challenge (3) - 2001, 2007, 2023
League Leader's Shield (9) - 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2022
Holbrook said as match in his post match interview. As the panel of pundits and just about everyone else who knows the sport know, it's all about momentum. Saints should've been ahead very early and possibly doubled their advantage later (more arguable). If the first try had been awarded the momentum would've been with us and all the doubts about being underdogs and losing to us three times this year and having lost their last five matches and being without Austin would all have come flooding in to the Warrington mindset. I'm sick of these sort of decisions going against us. There was no rhyme or reason in a game of this magnitude not to check with the video ref. Hicks was behind the two players contesting the ball and clearly couldn't tell if it was grounded or not. So he couldn't have been sure. In which case why not send the "try" up as "no try" and use the technology that he'd use every time in a Super League game? Look, we didn't play well and Warrington played their game brilliantly (maybe some would like us to get KC back, five drives and a kick worked for Wire!), but it's all about momentum and the official blatantly ensured that we lost ours. Time and again this is happening in big games and some think it's the team. Well the team may not win the matches but I'm afraid some dubious officials are ensuring we lose them.
It was bad, but we had enough ball, time and territory to win that game. But our game management for a final was woeful.
We had 78 Minutes to put it right. It was a garbage decision but no excuse.
Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
It's why the sport isn't taken seriously. Look at VAR in football, if someone looks at an opponent the wrong way goals are disallowed and play brought back (which is going too far in my opinion). We have a system where the on field official doesn't need to risk anything, the Video Ref is there for just that. I'm sick of these "mistakes" that with boring regularity seem to always be against us. I don't like being beaten, but it's fair enough when you just lose, but why are these type of decisions always a part of our big matches and always to our detriment?
Hicks decision re knowles was wrong, replays prove that.
However Saints stank. Coote and LMS were particualrly poor.
Lomax played like a runner-up, perhaps that what he is.
Bad decision. We were far worse. Need to move on and play better in the league knockout games.
The only individual who stank was Coote. Along with Lomax he's been our best player this year and he was physically fit enough to play, so we had to play him really.
But his performance was so bad it was a massive detrimental factor having him there. He was lazy with his joining the line and didn't do enough to disrupt the line either. As a fullback he should be making a run to make the defenders think it's going to him, but he only ran when it was, making everything entirely predictable. His dropped bomb was an awful mistake which ultimate cost us the game. He doesn't do that I think we've got enough to equalise and ultimately win the game. Bottom line we should have won that game today and failed miserably. Warrington applied their gameplan briliantly and Patton's kicking was fantastic, but they are unfit and half of them were walking wounded, yet our attack was so bad it would have struggled to win the 1895 Cup nevermind the Challenge Cup.
I think as a club the record in semi finals and finals has to be looked at. Its pityful how many big games we're favourites in and lose. It is potentially a mental thing, I think a lot of it today certainly was, but perhaps we need to be a bit more flexible tactially. We just play the same way regardless of the opposition and never change a thing. Warrington spotted they are inferior and changed their entire gameplan for the game. Had they not done that they'd have been hammered. Why don't we think a bit more? It was rumoured all week they were playing Currie and having an extra forward. I'd love to know if Holbrook even considered how to counteract that. All we had to do today was compress the defense and stop their forwards making easy metres from one out rugby. They weren't going wide, they only had one ball player on the field and he's terrible, Clark can't pass like a halfback either. Their gameplan was five drives and a bomb, quick play the balls. Simple, basic rugby you play at amateur level to keep the game tight. Respect the ball, don't take risks, just make metres and score from kicks. But we stayed with the same defensive width we've had all season, guarding the entire pitch when they were just trundling between the posts most of the time.
But as I said on Twitter today was so bad, so negative and so frustrating that it's pointless even going over it as fans. It's enough to have us all tied in knots mentally.
Any of you confident this team ever wins a meaningful trophy need to have a think. It could happen, but highly unlikely.
Agreed. It really is sour grapes from us if we keep pointing to that.
Wire turned up with a plan & executed it to perfection. I thought they were clearly the better side.
We now know we have a huge problem in big games. But it's gone for me now. Challenge Cup was the one, league is just a circus of a play off format
It's infuriating looking back at the two decisions, rather than being 6-6 it's 12 points down in a final which is massive if you consider the knock on which give them another set of six..
Yes we made massive mistakes, and far too many mistakes, but despite that we still dominated in defence far too many times, but those decisions are massive game changers, and there can be no logical reason for not going to the screen for the Knowles try
Percy, Naquiama & Tommy ran hard as usual no lack of effort, Coote will not make them errors again and Robes timing was off. LMS took two early drives up and got his head through after that he was blowing. In a final chances are limited we battered them in the first 20, Warrington were not in it, we made bad decisions in attack and when we did not score we started to panic. LMS was blowing and switched off in defence for their second try. Wembley nerves got us, we will be better for it, that defeat will win us the GF
I didnÂ’t post yesterday because I was too angry and irrational. I hope that explains a lot of yesterdayÂ’s posts, particularly ones slagging off Holbrook.
My memory is that we couldnÂ’t win a Good Friday Derby for love nor money and he came along and suddenly we start winning them. And, by the way, it still means something to me to win a Derby. We were playing dire rugby and he has made us entertaining. It may take someone different to turn this playing group into winners but that doesnÂ’t justify re-writing history and demeaning what he has achieved.
I agree what youÂ’ve posted about the players youÂ’ve named. The post you replied to suggested that Percival didnÂ’t play well but my memory is of him working hard and gaining metres. However, I donÂ’t have your confidence about winning in a GF. Losing yesterday will have done yet more psychological damage to a team, which despite success in the league, clearly lacks confidence/belief in big games. My view is that we needed to win yesterday to enable the players to get an invisible monkey off their backs. As a group they get rattled in big games and I think losing yesterday will have done them no end of harm.
If the Knowles try (not even Warrington or Wigan trolls on the various threads have suggested it wasnÂ’t a try) had been allowed the missing confidence/belief may have shown up but after a promising 20 minutes panic mode set in and mistakes started to creep in and eventually became an avalanche.
I hope that you are right about being able to win the GF but, having cooled down, I still donÂ’t have your confidence. I think that the defeat will make the clear psychological problems worse and it may take a new coach to deal with that. IÂ’m not prepared to write off the team but perhaps some new leaders with a history of winning finals will be needed. What I really want is for this team and this coach to prove me wrong but I donÂ’t think they can.
The additional problem, highlighted by someone else, is that nobody will be afraid to play us in playoff games or the final.
PS Sorry for the funny A’t bits. Nothing to do with me. Is it iPads?
Last edited by Suttoner; 25th August 2019 at 08:51. Reason: PS
That for me was Robert Hicks all over. An absolute joke of a referee. That and the “knock-on” were unforgivable.
St Helens Rugby League Football Club
The first one in particular defies belief not to even check it.
Watching the game now. It’s abysmal refereeing, this.
Knowles try not referred upstairs, Hughes makes the first knock-on in the Percival no-try and that hasn’t come off Grace first in the lead up to their first try. It’s come off King’s shoulder first then into Grace.
St Helens Rugby League Football Club
Even the Percival no try was debatable. Taia had the ball stolen, play on and Percy scores. Not a loose carry.