We rely totally on our pack turning up to play as we have nothing at all in the halves or 3/4s to be able to take on the likes of Warrington. We have the best pack in the league pretty much, but if they have a bit of an off-night and the backs don't do a solid defensive job as tonight (and several times this season against Wigan) then we're pretty much screwed. We also have no kicking game. We knew all this before the game and we still know it now - nothing's changed.

We need everyone up front to step up their game and dominate the opposition pack, and for the 3/4s to catch their bombs and make their tackles come the playoffs to win. I firmly believe we can do the former, but when your 3/4 line is 2 raw kids who've only just made the squad, an ex-GB centre who's mind is more on flat purchases in Castleford than on the game, and Meli who none of us need reminding can have the odd defensive 'mare in him, then the latter is more of an ask. We can win in the playoffs but we need some good individual performances and a bit of hoodoo residue to do it. I still wouldn't bet against us

What are you saying? A side that dominates possession and territory, being behind 5-1 in the penalty count after 40 minutes is a sign of indiscipline?

5-1 penalty count to Saints at the end of the first half. 8-5 after 80 minutes. I am fearful for your counting.

Saints don't have the best pack in the league, by a comfortable margin.

A 5 -1 penalty count in Saints favor clearly shows indiscipline from Wire. The fact that Wire were still able to dominate the majority of the game despite being behind on the penalty count shows the gulf in class between the two side's.

We'll agree to disagree. I think if Saints' first choice 10 turn up to play then they just about get the upper hand over anybody else in the league. That clearly didn't happen tonight, but there's not much more then could have done with such a dire showing from the backs.

I think you are doing your threequartes an injustice. They speculated and probed with some return. Your pack got little change from Warrington.

We need solid, mistake-free performances from the wide-guys to beat Warrington and we didn't get them. To me that's the reason we lost first and foremost.

I will let you deduce how those penalties were conceded, relative the possession stats........

It wouldn't matter if you had Gallen, Burgess, Graham and Kasiano in the front row if a team is so completely obsessed with completing sets that the opposition know whats coming- first reciever drive. Almost EVERY time, the other time just have to wedge the middle shut.

Whilst the kicking game didn't help, these tactics will beat the lesser teams but not the better ones unless they have an off day.

apart from that second try we scored there isn't one move in this team
barge...barge...barge...and the lack of speed is concerning.
forget this season and see what brown and the new signings bring next year.

Maybe you had to be at the game to see why we lost.

Warrington were much the better side throughout the 80 minutes, a 10 point defeat flattered us.

The only worry if I was a Wire fan is why they didn't rack up a cricket score against such an inept Saints performance.

I know why we lost - we're utterly one-dimensional and predictable with no functioning halves, an inexperienced mistake-prone 3/4 line and no kicking game at all. Match our forwards with a good backline as happened tonight and we're completely buggered. We [ican[/i still win the big games given the basic quality of our pack, and could [imaybe[/i still have done so tonight without the gifts from our backs, but we need the forwards to all be on top form and for the backs to stay solid in defence to be able to do so. It may just be a case of putting this season behind us and seeing what Brown can do next year at this point, but we're still in with a shout.

Good lord