Sad to see people knock a great talented player like Lee Briers, who has served the game of rugby well! Easy also to find his faults, which I am sure he would admit, well we could list Many Saints players in the same era with their problems off the pitch as well, we could start with Long got one! There is no doubt Saints could have done with Lee's services in the last few months.

Lee Briers was treated badly by St Helens at the time and no one could blame him for leaving and he has been a loyal player for his club since. I find it difficult to understand when players leave a club or play for a rival club people can't accept their talent.

I'm a big fan of lee Briers, always have been since he was a kid at saints. I don't think he was treated as bad as people make out, he was never keeping Goulding shirt, he was only playing while he was banned.

How many people in all honesty wouldn't pick bobbie Goulding for the final? He was our main man and IMO the best #7 in the world at the time.

Lee briers wanted to play first team, saints had Hammond and Goulding which they had paid transfer fees for. No way lee was getting a look in for few years yet.

Alexander James Murphy.

Stand to be corrected but he was Warrington's director of football at the time or something like that.

Respect your opinion! but I still think he could have been treated better after playing in all those cup games.

It paid off as we held the challenge cup up. He knew deep down he was never going to keep his place.

It's like Gaskell now, he came in and showed form to suggest he's going to be very good player but can't get a look due to hohaia but Gaskell has stuck with us (so far) and knows times on his side.

To be fair Goulding and Lance are so far apart, that they are on different planets.

I'm trying to point out to the poster that every coach in rugby league would have put bobbie back in for the final. He was the heart beat of our team, our main man. It's not like he was coming back from injury and could have broke down.

I'm also saying, maybe lee should have stuck it out a little longer and maybe would have broke in to the side. He was only young kid.

Nice when you've GOT A BUBBLE TO BURST THOUGH!

Rock 'n' Roll.

Exactly. It's Briers' loss not our's.

Exactly, when saints look back we will see many challenge cups, super leagues, grand finals, league leaders shields, world champions.

When lee looks back he will see two challenge cups and one league leaders shield.

I think we made correct choice myself.

What's that got to do with anything? The point is that a supposed top class professional sportsman was on the lash up to the very last possible minute he could get away with before dashing over the Pennines (undoubtedly while over the legal limit...) to get to an uber important game in his team's season. Nobody's doubting Brier's talent and I'd have him in a Saints shirt next season in a heartbeat - the point being made was his professionalism (and basic common sense while we're at it) and that is demonstrably open to question to say the very least... He'd be a darn sight better player undoubtedly with a just little application of either/both sense and professionalism.