As it turns out results in our favour this weekend.

Wigan weren't at their best in terms of finishing, too many dropped balls. I think the score line flattered Saints slightly.



To be fair though, Wigan at least have players in their preferred positions, despite having an injury struck pack. Saints' problems with people out of position is really costing you, even the best team in the world are going to struggle if their line-up is upside down.



Sadly, the game lost some of it's magic due to the injuries, I don't think it can be entirely blamed on lack of desire or heart.

Who is getting carried away ? Just looking for some positives in a bad day.

I don't think there was any lack of desire, or heart, at all. We were beaten by the better side on the day, a team that has some top individual players, like ratboy and Charnley. Given our lack of a 1, 6, 7, 9 and 13, we did pretty well.

Our lack of a creative 1 6, 7, 9 cost us more than their lack of experience in the pack did them. They are too organised defensively for us to have had a hope in hell of beating them with Wilkin and Wellens at 6 and 7.

Sums it up really.



We seemed to win the forwards battle, but we lacked that spark to get us over the line. If we would have had Lomax I think it would have been a different game.



Their tries came from long range and I cannot really recall them having too much ball in our 20?



Overall, we have to be satisfied with that effort given the team we put out.

The second half wasn't too bad, but there is a risk that the second half improvement masks what was a shocking performance first half.

Don't think anyone is, but we was never going to come out blazing with the team we had out. Once we settled and got into it we played much better. Shame we were 18-0 by the time this happened though.

Exactly.



If we remember back to the injury crisis of 2011 we would often play poorly in the first half as a new line up was getting used to each other, and then we would come out and fight back in the second.

The team should take confidence in that performance. It's the most adventurous in attack I've seen Saints play in quite a while.



wi*an attacked the fringes of the ruck area with numbers, players on the shoulder of the player hitting up and the subsequent short passes created gaps. It was effective throughout the game, and exploited the cobbled-together nature of our team.

If someone had told me before hand that we would win the second half with the team we had out, I would have laughed in their face.



The difference in that first half was the clinicalness between the two sides, and I suppose you have to look at the half backs as to why that is the case. Everytime we had an attacking opportunity in Wigan territory, we put the ball down, or made made an error, where as when Wigan attacked, they scored. That's the deciding factor in big games IMO, and we simply didn't take our opportunities in that first half.



Second half we looked an awful lot better - we threw the ball about, and looked dangerous in attack. As with the first half though, we lacked the pace to threaten them. Paul Wellens is a St Helens legend, and sweats blood every time he pulls on a Saints shirt, but he isn't a #6, and that was evident today. The lads worked themselves into the ground in that second half, but mistakes and missed tackles cost us in the end. As I say, the absence of key players in those key positions ultimately was the deciding factor in the end, but you have to appreciate the guts and determination shown in that second half.



Great effort - but not quite enough.

St Helens did not play poorly in the first half. Wigan just played their best rugby in that half. At 18-0 up, a potential massacre was on the agenda. Wigan stopped playing and their standard dropped inviting Saints back into the game.



The St Helens team representing a great club today are a pale shadow of those of past years. A huge rebuilding task in front of Brown. Some halfbacks, removing the deadwod would be a start.



No Saints fan can be happy with the 2013 version of Saints.



or



Have standards and aspirations sunk so low?