Great post and cant argue with anything.

Certainly as great as day as last year, but enjoyed it more having been there last year.

Was that possibly the best Wire performance we have ever seen ???

Soooooo many plus points and little 'moments' throughout the day, but for me the one that brought the tears on - Lee Briers being announced as the Lance Todd winner, pumping the air and pointing to the heavens (still feel the same writing this now....). Will mean as much to him as all the medals he has now won, and the ones to come....

Sally you mentioned turning a corner, for me I feel we have already done that.
Hull last week showed us what we are becoming. A week before a major final against the Super League Champions, and a match we really needed to win, which we did convincingly.

We blew Leeds away yesterday and showed what we are really capable of, we cannot be now labelled as one hit wonders.

1-17 - simply AWESOME

On this weekend ten years ago, we got thrashed by 50 points at home to Wigan which clinched them the minor premiership under Frank Endacott. It was the game where we were shouting "You Fat B-" and O'Connor and Cowie were having a bit of banter with the crowd pointing at each other about who we were referring to.

We had just had that stadium meeting with the local council where the local council approved the stadium and it had to go for approval from John Prescott (we were to get a nasty surprise around Christmas time when we found out it was being called in). Peter Deakin quit to go to take over at Sale Sharks. We had just tied up signing Kevin Campion as our big overseas signing for 2001 (another surprise awaited when we found out he didn't like the weather whilst playing for Ireland in the World Cup, so didn't come).

We were trying to sign Rob Smyth permanently after he had been doing quite well for us on loan. Meanwhile a young Academy prop Paul Wood was emerging and just getting into the first team.

Things have changed a lot in 10 years!

(to the tune of one man went to mow)

One man went to hunt,
Went to hunt a Rhino
He got his gun, to have some fun
When he went to hunt a rhino.

(Two men went to hunt etc etc etc as far as you want)

The whole team went to hunt
Went to hunt the Rhinos
What can I Say, they'd ran away
The day we stuffed the Rhinos!

I liked that as well. Usually when players are shown on the big screen when they are announced as Lance Todd, they just start shouting and pointing at other players as if to say "look I don't care about winning Lance Todd, I just want to show everybody how much of a professional I am". It was good to see Briers show that getting a famous award meant something, and it was the moment which sort of capped off that we were going to win. How much fun were the last ten minutes or so, when we knew we were going to win the game, and the Wires were attacking our end, and we got Hicks finishing his hat-trick and Louis Anderson scoring in front of us.

1974 was a great occasion, similar in a way to 2009 in that it signalled Wires ending a long, dark period of no success. Murphy was the 'Briers' of that team, John Bevan the 'Hicks' and Mike Nicholas the 'Ben Westwood' character - but without the goalkicking. Sadly, it did not last, the team started to break up in 1975 and we could not back up at Wembley againt the Comics.

1986 and the demolition of the champions, Halifax, also looked like the birth of a great new Wire side. The Premiership ( as was ) can't be compared to the Challenge Cup, however. Also, in another 1970s parallel, that 1986 team also soon fell apart, Wigan poaching several of our stars, Boyd retiring, 'Rhino' Duane picking up a career-ending injury.

After all that, I'd conclude that yesterday was my greatest day as a Wire. This team looks dangerous, dangerous, dangerous, and with a defence that's mean, mean, mean. We've never looked like that in games against the likes of Leeds before. On top of everything, to win back-to-back Challenge Cup finals for the first time in the history of the club is an achievment of true historic importance.

Note to the anti-Wire posters on these boardsarrogant[/i'?

superb post and one im in total agreement with......it was better this time around and much better than the 86 achievment with sir les and co...now we have another wire great in adrian morley..lee briers and so on....my lasting memory of yesterday and there were many,was adrian morley taking time out to join in the teams celebrations to go back to the young child(who ever he or she was)it was a lovely moment......

I didn't even dream days like yesterday in the dark days at the Zoo.

Unreal

What a feeling

74, i was very young, 86 was brilliant, last year was good, this year was unbelievable and to top it all we're 3rd in the table pushing for second. so yes best time ever!

I was above the scorboard and the atmosphere was great, i didnt think it would be as good being so high up but the view was excellant. I only been following wire since 2003 so just had the two finals and i think this year was better than last. This is due to it being a packed wembley and beating Leeds with ease.

1974 was excellent - 1975 was a disappointment.
2009 we thought we could win, and did.
2010 we were hoping for a good performance against the Superleague champions, but wouldn't have been too surprised if we had lost.
2010 beats 2009 because of who we were playing, and how we crushed them. The new Wembley and all the team colurs on the terraces beats the atmosphere in '74 and '75.
So 2010 is the clear winner for me.

I think yesterday was better than last year - I got there much earlier (as i got the train to Euston this time) so could soak up the atmosphere before the game and also I thought we should beat the Giants. But yesterday I wasn't overly confident but we came up with an amazing performance that probably even shocked Tony Smith. Great day.

To make it even better, I'm glad that I bookmarked this quote from just after the SF draw:

Brilliant post, Sally. [i<wipes tears away>[/i

I quite agree, kinda seemed like we'd maybe fell lucky last year, like we didn't really deserve to be there. This year, we earned that performance and that result.

Bring on the play-offs. I hope Saints are feeling ever so slightly uncomfortable right now.

I've never cried or shed a tear in a game, i've come close but it's never happened. When Lee was awarded the LT trophy and he stuck his arm up to point to his Brother, i shed a tear in happiness.

Lee Briers has just become my greatest ever Wire player overtaking Mike Gregory and Bob Jackson.

Greatest game ever for me yesterday, loved it.

Just thought of another couple of substories of the day. Louis and Vinnie Anderson now, two brothers winning back to back Challenge Cup winners medals in the same team, that's a great story for their family. And David Solomona - he's had a pretty good career where he's always been one of the most influential players in the league both in the NRL and here, but he'd never won a trophy. He'd lost a Grand Final with Sydney Roosters in 2000, then he lost a Grand Final with Parramatta in 2001 when Parra were odds on favourites and blew it at the last against Andrew Johns and Newcastle. Since then he's never been back to a final with Wakefield or Bradford and he might have thought that his chance of winning silverware was gone but then he joined the Wire to fulfil his destiny. I'm glad Solomona has got a winners medal, he deserved some honours in his career.