Sat 22 July : Betfred RL Challenge Cup Semi Final : St Helens v Leigh Leopards KO 14:30 BBC1

[Jughead]

13 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

It wasnt foul play though, who has said it was only Saints fans, non of the officials or commentators.

Have you heard of the disciplinary, H?

[Jughead]

19 minutes ago, corvusxiii said:

Yes Indeed! But another St PieLoins final and I'm washing the lawn on the final day.

Myth.

Leigh are the 11th different finalist in 9 years and we’re on a sequence of six consecutive different winners, where Saints, Wigan and Leeds have won as many Cup Finals as Hull, Catalans and Warrington. 

Bet you’ll moan no one is at the final, too. 

[corvusxiii]

5 hours ago, meast said:

I couldn't work out what was the issue then I realised they weren't winning and so it must be the fault of the referee.

We, in the sense of rugby league have this really bizarre, weird obsession with referees don't we? It's not healthy either, it's truly weird, even the "journalists" are part of the problem too fuelling the fires of "all refs are ###### and cost teams"

If the people who claim to be RL fans are constantly negative about the referees rather than talking up the game then RL may just garner some positive attention, again, the media have a role to play here.

Players and coaches make far, far more mistakes and cost their teams far more than referees and touch judges do but yet you never see players getting hammered by "fans" and the media like ref's do.

Every match day thread is ruined by comments about the referee yet totally ignoring what is happening in the game itself.

It probably deserves its own thread but it's just really really weird this obsession that people have.

You say that but 3-1 at half time then two penalties to Leigh altered the game. No penalties- No Game. 

Tbf I'm less interested in the genuine, reasonable  penalties for a given team than non penalties against the same team. Consider. 

[corvusxiii]

11 minutes ago, Jughead said:

Myth.

Leigh are the 11th different finalist in 9 years and we’re on a sequence of six consecutive different winners, where Saints, Wigan and Leeds have won as many Cup Finals as Hull, Catalans and Warrington. 

Bet you’ll moan no one is at the final, too. 

Do you disagree with me when I say RL would be stronger with a Leigh v HullKR final?

[Jughead]

4 minutes ago, corvusxiii said:

Do you disagree with me when I say RL would be stronger with a Leigh v HullKR final?

I would disagree. What is “stronger” defined as? Will millions of pounds flood into the game if either Leigh or Hull KR win? Will I have to actually try to get a ticket for my 24th final in 2024? Will broadcasters and sponsors flood the sport with money in the wake of a Leigh or KR cup final win?

Speaking from a purely RL matter, we are in a halcyon period for Challenge Cup Finals and the variation in finalists and winners should be championed. The 2023 Final could be the fifth consecutive iteration with different teams competing each year. 

[Ragingbull]

Amazed at how many people are saying it was such a great peromance from Leigh and the deserved to go through. 

1 try each. Saints only a half decent kicker away from going through. 

Always find it strange how the result clouds peoples view of the game. 

The exact same game with the only diference being the goal kicks and everyone would have been raving how the world champions march on to Wembley

 

[jacksy]

Didn't see the game but thoroughly enjoyed seeing the scoreline.

Well done Leigh. Bye bye Saints.

[DACS]

Congratulations to Leigh. They were champions the first season I started watching the game (1981-82) and then went on a steady decline to the point it seemed unlikely they would ever get back. Then they were IMO ridiculously vilified for having a go at SL a few years back when they had no chance to prepare, and last year/this year ridiculed for the Leopards stuff and their owners' antics. Good to see them back in the big time and doing well. 

[Dave T]

5 hours ago, Ragingbull said:

Amazed at how many people are saying it was such a great peromance from Leigh and the deserved to go through. 

1 try each. Saints only a half decent kicker away from going through. 

Always find it strange how the result clouds peoples view of the game. 

The exact same game with the only diference being the goal kicks and everyone would have been raving how the world champions march on to Wembley

 

I'm not sure you watched the match. 

[tec]

Well played Leigh some sour grapes from a few posters on here. Great atmosphere mostly created by the Leigh fans, hopefully Leigh can upset a few more of the so called big clubs and win the Grand Final.

[Ackroman]

15 hours ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

I must have missed that, what happened? 

Camera zooms in on 3 young blondes. One on the left looks straight into the camera and drops the f-bomb. Classy.

[Ackroman]

6 hours ago, Ragingbull said:

Amazed at how many people are saying it was such a great peromance from Leigh and the deserved to go through. 

1 try each. Saints only a half decent kicker away from going through. 

Always find it strange how the result clouds peoples view of the game. 

The exact same game with the only diference being the goal kicks and everyone would have been raving how the world champions march on to Wembley

 

Josh Charnley's performance keeping Makinson out was a stand out and deserved winners performance. Noone in a Saints shirt bettered him. Neither did Leigh go a man down. 

It's not just the kicks

[Harry Stottle]

9 hours ago, meast said:

 Not sure anyone is calling for his head and not sure they were both "great defensive tackles" either.

They were certainly clumsy and dangerous if not strictly illegal.

Point out what law states those tackles were illegal, if Mr Kendall who is a stickler of playing the game by the rules adjudged them to be fine then they must have been, surely you being a champion of the officials when everyone and sundry criticises them must agree with that!

[Harry Stottle]

21 hours ago, muckymunksy said:

Id like Leigh to win but cant cope with all the moaning when Saints lose a game. 

 

 

You were not wrong Mucky.

[hullste]

10 hours ago, Damien said:

You obviously haven't read his posts before. One of the most one eyed Saints fans on here.

my earlier posts on this page congratulate Leigh as they deserved to win?? However I am highlighting my opinion/ concern about one challenge in particular which has ended a players season with a serious injury???? When I look at your comments anything against Saints is fine and anything for Saints is not, which is the absolute definition of one eyed

[Szymala]

7 hours ago, Ragingbull said:

Amazed at how many people are saying it was such a great peromance from Leigh and the deserved to go through. 

1 try each. Saints only a half decent kicker away from going through. 

Always find it strange how the result clouds peoples view of the game. 

The exact same game with the only diference being the goal kicks and everyone would have been raving how the world champions march on to Wembley

 

Well, for starters it was 2 tries apiece....

Saints spent 7 mins in Leigh's red zone and Leigh barely 2 mins in Saints' yet tackled their hearts out for a piece of history. Being there, it felt a seismic shift in fortunes.

What a job Adrian Lam has done in 2 stellar seasons - quite a showdown/story if he faces the club that sacked him at Wembley....

 

 

[Damien]

6 minutes ago, hullste said:

my earlier posts on this page congratulate Leigh as they deserved to win?? However I am highlighting my opinion/ concern about one challenge in particular which has ended a players season with a serious injury???? When I look at your comments anything against Saints is fine and anything for Saints is not, which is the absolute definition of one eyed

I was referring to Harrys confusion over your Hull Ste user name, that was quite clear, and your every post on this forum which are all very biased and pro Saints.

Edited July 23, 2023 by Damien

[Snowys Backside]

14 hours ago, Fevrover said:

Why shouldn't they be in cc final ? What a odd question.

Of course we should, it just makes a nice change doesn’t it ?

If a really strange season continues, who would bet against HKR joining us and two underdogs getting to the big smoke ?

[GUBRATS]

Just watching the game for the first time since being there , maybe Saints should start tackling round the legs instead of round the head , particularly Walmsley,Lees and Knowles 

I'll add Hurrell into that as well 

Edited July 23, 2023 by GUBRATS

[hullste]

1 minute ago, Damien said:

Your every post on this forum, that was quite clear. All biased and pro Saints.

You need to check your own posts if you want to question objectivity.

Simple fact is If I simply wanted to be biased because we lost a game I would be on here moaning about Matautia's sin binning or Briscoes shepherd however Matautia got exactly what he deserved and although Briscoes challenge could have gone either way we have had lots of decisions like that go our way so you have to suck it up when they go against you.

Having an opinion about a serious season ending injury doesn't constitute being a one eyed saints fan, I called it reckless and haven't said it was malicious or illegal.

 Several non saints fans have highlighted similar opinions and many have disagreed which is fair enough but on this occasion your attack on my objectivity is totally unwarranted.

[hindle xiii]

10 hours ago, ELBOWSEYE said:

Wrong on the LUT guy Arabs they red and grey they only changed when GM buses took them over in 1977, I was the last apprentice in LUT in 1977. So a bus spotter but not correct.

Oh this will be a better argument than the tackle on Paasi.

[dkw]

10 hours ago, Damien said:

You obviously haven't read his posts before. One of the most one eyed Saints fans on here.

Your replying with that to Harry , he makes a cyclops look less one eyed when it comes to Leigh..

I thought the passi one could be classed as reckless at worst, there's no way on earth he's meant to "do" him, it's just a player desperately doing anything to stop a try. Whether that leads to a ban is anyones guess with the roll 2 dice disciplinary board we have.

[Damien]

3 minutes ago, dkw said:

Your replying with that to Harry , he makes a cyclops look less one eyed when it comes to Leigh..

Well yes, you have a fair point there

[sentoffagain2]

1 hour ago, Ackroman said:

Josh Charnley's performance keeping Makinson out was a stand out and deserved winners performance. Noone in a Saints shirt bettered him. Neither did Leigh go a man down. 

It's not just the kicks

   Charnley has been excellent this season makes one wonder why Powell let him go.

[Wellsy4HullFC]

10 hours ago, Dave T said:

When Wire made it in 2009 it was their first final for 19 years and their first win for almost 35 years. But because somebody wants to be negative about it suddenly we get wrapped in as one of the usual suspects. 

I was going to make this point in my post.

That final between Huddersfield and Warrington was the first final in 22 years not to feature Leeds, Saints or Wigan. It felt very fresh.

Similar to how Hull breaking the 5-year monopoly of finals in 2000-2004 of the issue Big 4 felt fresh (AND actually winning). There's only been 1 other final featuring 2 of that Big 4 since.

10 hours ago, Dave T said:

We almost go to extraordinary lengths to portray the most negative picture possible.

I wouldn't say it's necessarily negative. It's just indicative of the size of the clubs. They're considered the Big 4 for a reason.

 

10 hours ago, Dave T said:

The Challenge Cup has had variety galore and some superb underdog stories and some absolute classic finals. Yet RL fans will still moan about the finalists when there is nowt wrong with it in the sligtest. 

It's an observation, and a correct one. There's nothing wrong with being excited at the prospect of a fresh final featuring finalists that are both not one of the usual suspects. It's similar to how I felt about that 2009 final. Warrington have since gone on to feature in 10 finals since.

10 hours ago, Dave T said:

Due to Leigh winning today, the last decade will have seen every SL club bar Wakefield play in a Challenge Cup Final. That is an astounding stat. 

That is amazing.

It's also amazing that 1 of 4 teams have featured in every final for 36 years.

1 of 3 teams have featured in all but 3 finals in the same period.

That dominance is what would make a final of Hull KR and Leigh special in its own way. That's not negative.

 

(I still want a Leigh v Wigan final though )