I love this game. Win or lose I'm a happy man. I never expected to be at ot ( as my previous posts prove). But here we are. We all know we have the class to win it, I have no doubt.... If we don't, who'd argue against the saints deserving a gf win? Don't get me wrong, they've got to earn it and I still fancy rhinos but either way I'm a happy rhinos fan.

Agreed.

I have a lot of respect for St Helens 6 GF's in a row is amazing, especially under 3 different coaches, just hope we can pull it off



C.O.Y.R

Meh, me too! Obviously I want us to win it but if we don't then I think it's a fitting send off for our old adversary Jammer. Sometimes the Pantomime villain but always a tough competitor. Good Luck to him Down Under.

Another Saints Leeds GF - I hoping that history repeats but must admit they looked sharp tonight and didn't let Wigan get on a roll, also some of the best defence I think I've seen all season.

Gunna be a tough one next week.

As much as we take the pi$$ out of FGB I though Graham was awesome tonight and will be more than a handful with it being his last game for Saints.

He's always had the craic with Leeds fans. I've ten times more respect for him than i'll ever have for any of the Wigan mob.

Where Leeds may have the advantage is experience. I remember have a conversation with my cousin who cooincidentally played at Saints, after the last GF defeat against Leeds and we more or less concurred it would take a couple of seasons to get the youngsters right. To get to two successive GF's on the bounce after that is a top achievement IMO. I hope Gaskell, Foster, Makinson, Wheeler and to a lesser degree Lomax can rise to the challenge of finals day. I have a bit of a doubt because Leeds are an established team. That said the Saints kids have no past to care about, but my thoughts are concerned that the Wigan win may conciously or not be the defining moment of our season, our own GF win. I hope the GF is not an anti climax for us.

Im going into the game exactly how i went into the Warrington game.. no pressure, no nerves, just hope that the lads turn up and do us proud and dont get annihilated!

Leeds where the last team I wanted to face in the GF.
I think Leeds in recent years have peaked when it matters more than most.

This should be a great GF for once.
For me there is nothing between the two teams.

COME ON SAINTS

This year we are peaking too... Two in form teams on highs after knocking out the two best teams in super league! What a game it is shaping up to be! Enjoy the day and I hope to have some good banter with the Leeds fans at OT

Seconded. The banter we've had with him these last few years has been great.

Perfect final for me, if we pull it off awesome - if we don't we've still had a brilliant run to get there. I'm just glad that if we don't win, it'll be Saints and not Wigan. As has been said, who could begrudge them a win after the last four years?

By the way - nice web site, nice music, real talent - I recommend to the house that you click the link in this users sig...

Gonna be a good final hopefully we can pull it off but regardless glad we get to play saints. Didn't want Wigan to have any chance of winning!!

Would have much preferred Wigan as I think we would have been to strong. Saints on the other hand look a much tougher opposition in Gaskill they have the next half back sensation who along with Lomax make a great half back combination.

I'm starting to have that feeling too....I see Saints as potentially more dangerous than Wigan. The only way I see us having any advantage is that man for man we MAY have slightly more big game and GF experience than them.....however if we do come up short I'm glad we wont be losing to the Pies for the second time this season in a major final. Saints have a fantastic record here, 6 consecutive GF appearances, and you have to have a grudging respect for them on that achievment alone. That plus we always seem to be able to have much better banter with the Saints fans on GF day, than we ever would with the cocky Pies fans!

Agree with all that.

Saints to win it for me, and who could really argue? 6 gf's on the trot and lost the last 4, they're definitly due one.

It's not like we finished 1st and have been awesome, we finished 5th, so I won't be dissapointed if we lose, especially not to saints.

cmon saints but a loss to leeeds in the final would no way be as gut wrenching as a loss to the pies last night well done see you next week

Not exactly my cup of tea but I can see appreciate why old people and hippies would like it.

Be intresting to see if Leeds do win will they finally get the credit they deserve. Never felt you got the accolades for winning the SL 3 years running, more was made of us losing, the rain etc rather than you outplaying us. Can see the RL media banging on about Wigan and Wire whichever one of us wins. Have a good night on Sat and may the best team win

Change Saints to Leeds and Rhinos to Saints and I could have posted that myself on the Saints board.

The one thing I am hoping for is a better game than our previous Grand Finals (hopefully something like our Challenge Cup contests). With neither team being that fancied to overturn either of the top two prior to the play offs I think the pressure is off because both have experience of success before. When you haven't won the Grand Final your first attempt can be overwhelming.

Both teams have been playing good, if different in style, rugby. They appear to be peaking at the right time and neither looks like they're on their last legs (big credit to Leeds for battling through any fatigue) so we could have an epic. I just hope so because our two wins have really ignited the play offs and we needed something like this to happen to build up attendances around the play offs. If your team goes into the play offs believing it can win it, it opens up a world of excitement for everyone involved. Prior to this weekend it's been a given that the final will be between at least one of the top two and third. With neither top two team in there it shows that the competition is getting tighter and more importantly every team can win it if they get it right when it matters.

I won't extend my positives to wishing you good luck but, more than anything I hope for a great game. As the game isn't against Wigoon or Warrington the pressure is off if we lose because we've been your bitches before and it wasn't that bad

Just posted on the Saints board, that I'm happy to be in the final against Saints, and may the best team win.

Both clubs weren't really expected to reach the final. As everyone on the Wire and Goons board will testify, they were the best clubs in the league bu far, and it's just not fair that none of them are in the final



May the best team on the day win

There was a banner at the game last night that read "Never write Saints off" - the words that sprung to my mind were "no sh*t".

Saints will have appeared in virtually 70% of the 13 SL Grand Finals, I don't think anyone with an ounce of common sense would ever write Saints off.

We're going into this game as underdogs but I think we've just proved that we can now compete with those teams that were hammering us earlier this year. Our early season form has nothing to do with our current form and regardless what the bookies say I reckon it's 50/50 right now.

Agree with all of that, but I think with all that we both have been through at times this season, the bookies might find it hard to split us. Lets face it neither of us were expected to be in the GF so as you say, next week for me will come down to which group of players performs best on the night.

I started a thread on our site saying how I'm looking forward to this final more than any for years, simply because I never expected to be anywhere near OT. The fact that the Goons are livid at two teams of also rans making the final only adds to the enjoyment

. At this moment I couldn't care less about the result, am just delighted to be in the final. I hope we win, but whether we do or not, we have has a good season, and would have happily taken this at the start of the year. Losing a GF isn't that bad, and we should know. Good luck for a great game on Saturday.

Wish we'd got Wigan in final.....think we had much more chance of defeating them than Saints.... and we were due that sweet taste of victory after coming so close so many times this season.

Wish Saints had got the victory they deserve [ilast[/i year

...they are due that win.

The consolation for me if Saints is win is that it might - at last - instill in Leeds the same principles of investing/trusting in the youth. The success of Saints is a testament to that policy. Hardaker is a fantastic start.

No more Richie Moore signings, or talk of re-signing Senior. PLEASE.

This is a bit uncomfortable, with both sets of fans being so friendly to the other. It's about time someone changed the tone, so come on Rhinos see off the plastic scousers again, as they are our GF bitches after all. I suppose it's a bit like when Wigan players were frightened of losing in the CC for the Leeds lads now....












Only kidding, here's to a great game.