24 Aug: Coral Challenge Cup Final: St Helens v Warrington Wolves KO 3pm (BBC)

[Denton Rovers RLFC]

5 minutes ago, Seaton Sandy said:

Pulsating game in taxing conditions won by the better side on the day. On the down-side ,two classy teams and a 5th rate referee. Hicks should have referred that first minute try and I am certain Saints would have been playing behind a 6 point start.  He made several other gaffes in the course of the game which did Saints no favours and that underlines the rock-bottom standard of officiating that blights the greatest game week in and week out. I'm not a St Helens supporter but I commiserate with the club's fans who had to endure not only Robert Hicks but a rank bad show from Coote.   

He gave Saints plenty of leeway, absolutely loads in that second half, from the video I've just watched there's nothing conclusive from that angle.

[johnh1]

39 minutes ago, JohnM said:

The forum's Jeremiahs have 365 days and 22 hours a year to have a go at attendances, venues, Sky, the BBC,  the game, the refs, the RFL and more. Wouldn't it be great if they could spare us all that for just two hours a year?

364 days and 22 hours!

[Denton Rovers RLFC]

Wilkin talking shiote again, they ARE forced errors you thicko, when a player looks up and the ball hits their chest/goes through their arms then that's because of the pressure from the opposition, please BBC, get rid of this turnip, you can lose Peacock and Noble as well quite honestly, they don't offer anything for me.

[Just Browny]

Haha oof. Don't think that was supposed to happen.

[Denton Rovers RLFC]

lovely to see Sir Johnny of Whitely being introduced to the players and will present the trophy, can't even beg an OBE never mind a knighthood for not just a rugby league legend but an absolute top person with his work within the communities of Hull for decades.

[redjonn]

9 minutes ago, Denton Rovers RLFC said:

I've just seen it again, it's not conclusive at all, it looks like his hand could have slid off the side of the ball, I don't know if there was another view?

It makes exactly 4-6 points difference, everything else is speculation, Warrington could have gone in to win by 20 or Saints by 20, you simply cannot calculate what would have happened. What about Saints try were they were offside for all 6 tackles when Warrington were under the cosh in their 20 and kicked out on the full and from that Saints scored?

we beg to differ on the first paragraph.. but every pundit on BBC including the commentary team disagree with you too.... and I guess they had no bias.

Last paragraph is more or less what I said.. but in less words.

[redjonn]

Personally I like Wilkin as a "expert pundit", he gives good analytic perspective.

Again I think the BBC production, commentary and pundits in studio are so much better than Sky...

for me it was a very big well done to the BBC

[Denton Rovers RLFC]

18 minutes ago, redjonn said:

we beg to differ on the first paragraph.. but every pundit on BBC including the commentary team disagree with you too.... and I guess they had no bias.

Last paragraph is more or less what I said.. but in less words.

Wilkin is the most bias pundit in RL history, and they know no more than I do, too easy for them to go with the consensus, no bottle.

[redjonn]

1 minute ago, Denton Rovers RLFC said:

Wilkin is the most bias pundit in RL history, and they no more than I do, too easy for them to go with the consensus, no bottle.

well we beg to differ...

I guess you agree with the pundits that you don't agree with on Saints no try when they agreed that Warrington's no try was a wrong call

[The Hallucinating Goose]

2 minutes ago, Denton Rovers RLFC said:

Wilkin is the most bias pundit in RL history, and they no more than I do, too easy for them to go with the consensus, no bottle.

Saints have got plenty of bottles if they want to borrow one. 

[Just Browny]

2 minutes ago, redjonn said:

well we beg to differ...

I guess you agree with the pundits that you don't agree with on Saints no try when they agreed that Warrington's no try was a wrong call

My head hurts reading that.

The Saints 'try' was right in front of me and was a clear bounce. Great to hear 'Hubcap' Holbrook has spat his dummy though.

[Lowdesert]

Bryson Goodwin will probably go down as one of Wires best ever imports.  Terrific player.

[redjonn]

1 minute ago, Just Browny said:

My head hurts reading that.

The Saints 'try' was right in front of me and was a clear bounce. Great to hear 'Hubcap' Holbrook has spat his dummy though.

yep, was quite a sentence... purposely.

As I say we beg to differ... on TV (sorry I wasn't their) it was a clear try.  Hicks should have gone to the VR, no doubt.

Warringtons chalk off seemed an incorrect call too... but that went to the VR.

[Trojan]

Looked like a try to me.  Saw it again and again, try every time.  Hicks was nearer than me so who knows?  Hicks is hardly reliable though.  He once awarded a try at Fev when the player clearly put the ball down over the touch in goal line.

I expected Saints to win, but Warrington deserved it. But heir brand of rugby is dull, dull, dull. At a guess they bored Saints to death like they did Hull.  Championship rugby, while not as fast is far more watchable than the dross we saw this afternoon from both sides.

[JohnM]

46 minutes ago, Denton Rovers RLFC said:

Why?

I've gone to plenty of neutral games but it's my choice, I feel no obligation whatsoever and have no qualms talking about attendances. The only criticism by me is the number of fans from the heartlands clubs who are in the final.

Why not concentrate on the match for just two hours when there are 8, 738 other hours available for moaning  analyisis

[Superb Chops]

1 hour ago, Futtocks said:

Agreed. Philbin's been a standout when Warrington have been rubbish in recent weeks, but he's been a star today too.

Congratulations Wire. Really smart, disciplined performance.

Agree about Clark+Philbin, while I admired Ratchford for a performance covering both full- and half-back positions. He orchestrated Warrington's pattern of play in the late sets.

In comparison I felt Saints lacked direction.

[Dave T]

I enjoyed that.

[fieldofclothofgold]

49 minutes ago, Padge said:

Oh well what a pity never mind eh. Hub caps bagged. 

 

Shurrup 

[Dunbar]

Cracking game to watch. So open and yet defences held for the most part and there was loads of desperate last ditch tackling.

Did I hear right at the end that Wire only made four errors all game... if so they thoroughly deserve that win.

Lots of very good performances but Clark was immense. 

[Denton Rovers RLFC]

19 minutes ago, JohnM said:

Why not concentrate on the match for just two hours when there are 8, 738 other hours available for moaning  analyisis

Ah, so no actual ability to answer the question posed, as it is a forum is a place to discuss the matters at hand, are you trying to stymie free discussion?

When someone makes a clai and it is countered are you saying one should not ask why the hold that opinion?

 

[Just Browny]

24 minutes ago, Trojan said:

 

I expected Saints to win, but Warrington deserved it. But heir brand of rugby is dull, dull, dull. At a guess they bored Saints to death like they did Hull.  Championship rugby, while not as fast is far more watchable than the dross we saw this afternoon from both sides.

It was a war of attrition and our fitness proved better than Saints'. We had both first-choice halfbacks out and Currie at stand-off. St Helens' "one-out run by a winger" approach in the 2nd half was perhaps more exciting, but we shut it down fairly easily.

[JohnM]

Just now, Denton Rovers RLFC said:

A forum is a place to discuss the matters at hand, are you trying to stymie free discussion?

 Like , well,  you know, the honest endeavours of two teams of superb athletes.

  Self-discipline for 0.02288853284% of the year. Only in rugby league would that count as discouraging free discussion. 

[Denton Rovers RLFC]

1 minute ago, JohnM said:

 Like , well,  you know, the honest endeavours of two teams of superb athletes.

  Self-discipline for 0.02288853284% of the year. Only in rugby league would that count as discouraging free discussion. 

HAHAHAHA, so you can't answer the question I originally posed. Your whataboutery waffle exposes you!

[gingerjon]

20 minutes ago, Dave T said:

I enjoyed that.

Call yourself a rugby league fan.

The correct phrase is “I didn’t not enjoy that too badly.”

[Curly perm]

Saints didn’t do anywhere near enough for me. Yeah, a try chalked off but a top side deals with that...it’s the first minute and still level!  

Coote’s missed conversion was huge though. To know that you’re needlessly still two scores down after a monumental effort for the try would be soul destroying!