The opening round of the Super 8s will feel a long way in the past by the time of the razzmatazz of Grand Final night come early October but even then St Helens may look back on this night as one which underlined their side’s potential this season.
In the early days of Super League it was sensible never to write off St Helens, and 20 years on, they are still making a habit of trying to prove the critics wrong. Midway through this year, the Saints were as many as six points adrift of the top four, with plenty ruling them out of the running for Old Trafford following a first half of the season littered with inconsistency.
Fast forward to the present day however, and not only are the Saints firmly in the Grand Final picture, but they are looking such a tough nut to crack that the three-way battle for the League Leader’s Shield could yet be expanded to four in the coming weeks.
This may not have been the most vintage performance from Keiron Cunningham’s men with ball in hand, but in terms of grit and never-say-die attitude, it was an evening which confirmed what many had suspected throughout this current six-game winning run: St Helens are title contenders in 2016.
They have conceded just 50 points in their most recent four victories, the kind of backbone required for any side intent on a tilt at Old Trafford. Just like in 2014 when they won the Grand Final, they have dipped under the radar yet again all year, but are coming into vision at just the right time.
“We’re not falling in love with ourselves yet,” said Cunningham. “We’re approaching every week like a Grand Final, but that was a seriously brave performance. We’re in a good place defensively and I’m proud of their efforts tonight.”
As for Warrington, it is too early to talk of Wembley-itis with the Challenge Cup final three weeks away, but this was an indifferent performance from a side who made light work of progression to Wembley last weekend courtesy of victory against Wakefield.
The fact they had a five-day turnaround compared to a two-week break for St Helens heading into this game will have undoubtedly had an impact, but it was the stagnated performance in attack for the Wolves which will have caused the greater concern. “We were off it in terms of our sharpness,” said Tony Smith, the Warrington coach.
With Jordan Turner once again in magnificent form, the Saints did not trail all evening. They went ahead when Turner’s pass sent Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook over, and although Daryl Clark levelled for Warrington soon after, the Saints led at half-time after a fine handling move involving Turner, Mark Percival and Adam Swift put Jonny Lomax away.
That 12-6 lead was extended by two points just before the hour when Mark Percival’s penalty nudged the Saints’ lead out to eight – a moment that proved to be the difference between the two sides. Jack Hughes’ try set up a tense final quarter before Turner capped a marvellous individual performance with a well-taken try to reestablish their eight-point lead.
The Wolves would fight back again when Ryan Atkins set up a grandstand finish – and Warrington even thought they had snatched victory in the final moments before Rhys Evans was denied by the video referee. It may not have been the most high-quality game, but come the end-of-season shake-up, it could easily turn out to be one of the most crucial.
Warrington Ratchford; Russell, T King, Atkins, Evans; Gidley, Sandow; Hill Clark, Sims, Currie, Hughes, Westerman. Interchange Dwyer, Westwood, G King, Wilde. Tries Clark, Hughes, Atkins. Goals Gidley 3.
St Helens Lomax; Owens, Peyroux, Percival, Swift; Turner, Walsh; Richards, Roby, Walmsley, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Greenwood, Wilkin. Interchange Amor, Thompson, Vea, Knowles.
Tries McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Lomax, Turner. Goals Percival 4.
Referee P Bentham. Attendance 10,769.
