Pretty much what Sally said. After building up to it for so many years, I was just "underwhelmed" by the whole occasion.

Lets face it the Grand Final is just a money spinner for Sky TV so they start building it up in February as if its the greatest sporting event ever,

I had a belting day out. The atmosphere could have been cut with a knife, very tense and always on the edge of my seat (No, not because it was cramped)

I thought The game just felt.... Bigger, The crowds sounded more vocal as well IMO. Loved the GF and love the CC final. I just love finals!

Not fit to lace Wembleys boots,neither the event or the venue, disappointed frankly.

I've been to a fair few finals now at OT and Wembley and they're both on an equal par IMO. The new Wembley, as impressive as it is, is as souless as most other modern stadia only on a much larger scale. The old Wembley, now there was a ground with atmosphere. I've never failed to enter that place and not get goosebumps. The FA missed a trick with the new one.

I think if I'd been there as a neutral I'd have been disappointed by the lack of pre-match entertainment, but as it was I was sitting there staring at the pitch for an hour before kick-off with butterfiles growing in my stomach and I don't think having JLS there would have added much.

Strange thread.. seems a bit "lets cheer ourselves up by putting down the event" to me.

Ask yourself a question; would this post ever have been created if the game had finished Warrington 26 - Leeds 18? If we are honest. the answer is no.

Alright I dont really like the playoff format as it stands, or that the league winners get sweet fa for their efforts over 20+ rounds if they dont make and win the GF, but it is what it is. Wigan are suffering just as we did in 2011 in that respect. It's rather hollow.

At the end of the day though, it's not often you get to support your team (or even see RL in general) in a stadium with 70,000+ fans watching under floodlights with an electric atmosphere. I don't really see how it get's any better as a final. If it was that bad, it wouldnt attract so many people every single year.

I'll be there again next year, with Wire or without them. I think it's a great event.

The atmosphere around me was quite unpleasant and intimidating despite being sat behind the sticks at the Wire end of the ground. Old Trafford is big, and local but other than that I didn't see it as anything special.

It was my first Grand Final as I wanted to lose my GF virginity with the Wire. I always figured that once that was done I'd happily 'sleep around' and go each year, but I won't be. After my experience this year I definately won't be attending any Grand Finals as a neutral, I definately won't be taking the wife or kids whether Wire are there or not, and to be completely honest, the way I feel right now I probably wouldn't want to go again even if Wire were there.

I'm still very upset, disappointed and angry that, win lose or draw, what should have been the highlight of 35 years of following the Wire was so unpleasant.

I was in the west stand, upper, WU205 right behind the sticks. We saw some scuffles to our right (as we were looking towards the pitch), but other than that I didn't notice anything really. Not saying it didnt happen and if you are unlucky enough to be near someone kicking off then I understand it can be unpleasant. I was in the middle (not literally) of the fight that broke out at Wembley in 2010. Wasnt nice. It won't prevent me from going back in future but perhaps if I had gone with a young family at the time I wouldn't be saying that.

I took the mrs, she doesn't go to many rugby matches.. she has been to 2 cup finals at Wembley and loved them. However she wanted to go home at half time in the grand final. She felt very uncomfortable and couldn't get out of the ground fast enough. She will never go back to one.... I think kick off time and the levels of alcohol consumption are probably to blame.

even if wire were to get ot nxt year i would prolly stay away unless they changed the time of k-o,as i said in an earlier post,my day was ruined by leeds nobhead fans,plus the whole day was tense as ppl were kicking off all arouind me,even in the toilets and bar ppl were looking for aggro!man city ground would be a better proposition imo,i loved it there! great atmosphere as well!!true rl fans having a good day out! also even tho a lot were it was more friendly if you know what i mean!

Sadly, I think 6pm is a totally unsuitable ko time for such a big match. They ban alcohol at your seats but that actually makes it worse I think – it encourages people to spend as long as they can in the pubs and arrive last minute and then they get boisterous. Surely Sky don’t wield so much power that they’d be unwilling to screen it earlier? I wonder what the police say about it? After all, it’s clashing with prime time Saturday night TV, so why not put it on earlier? Apart from the problems at the match, you then have the scramble afterwards of people trying to get him by a decent hour.

She could always try drinking less next time....perhaps?

Strange thread.. seems a bit "lets cheer ourselves up by putting down the event" to me.

Ask yourself a question; would this post ever have been created if the game had finished Warrington 26 - Leeds 18? If we are honest. the answer is no.

Actually, if I am honest...........YES ITS WOULD. Like I originally stated, the feelings of deflation were felt by, and discussed between my daughter and myself before kick-off and at half-time, both times when Warrington were well and truly "still in it". The thread was not a knock at the result (we made too many mistakes to win it) or the fact that winning the GF trophy was THE GOAL, or even the playoff structure itself (which I personally think should be changed...but thats just a personal opinion). It was an obseravtion that after waiting so many years to make it to the final I suppose I expected "more". Leaving OT on Saturday I never had the gut wrenching "we just lost the final" feeling that I remember when losing to Wigan in the 1990 cup final. That may be due to having so many seasons of feeling numb at the loses or the fact that this year we already have a trophy.

My daughter is a relative newby to the Warrington supporters. Not a glory hunter as she started just before the success but it is only as she came into her teens that she started to follow the wire. Now at university its harder for her to get back for games but you do tend to think "is it really that special" when she says "dont know if I'd come back next year" whereas a trip to Wembley is a MUST.

Some people have brought up the crowd issues and that will affect their experience but I saw problems at Wembley, I remember the historical "agro" between Warrington and Wigan fans so that doesnt necessarily affect the opinion. Its rugby, people were drinking, drink causes issues. Prats who drink cause bigger issues. I get it.

At the end of the day though, it's not often you get to support your team (or even see RL in general) in a stadium with 70,000+ fans watching under floodlights with an electric atmosphere. I don't really see how it get's any better as a final. If it was that bad, it wouldnt attract so many people every single year.

Totally agree that its not that often you get these chances and thats my point. As a prize, yes as a Warrington fan I want it. As an event (ignoring what it stands for) I could take it or leave it. Good though that moment the teams came onto the pitch to the roar was, I felt more emotion watching Warrington v Australia under floodlights at Wilderspool with a far smaller crowd.

Part of the reason for the post was to raise the question from a general RL point of view, part was for my own self-doubt of "was it me". This was never intended as a "make me feel better" thread after all, not only did we lose but it cost us a packet for the priveledge..enough to depress anybody . What it has meant though is that I cannot tell whether to be happy that its not just me, or whether I should be disappointed that its not just me !

I had a fantastic day out, the result was pooh but everything else that mattered to me was great. The pubs around O/T were poop but I don't drink a great lot so this doesn't score for me. The atmosphere was fantastic where I was sat & the hairs on the back of my neck were standing on end when the teams came out. The only negative were to many drunken fans around me, I was in block 205 and next to me were a bunch Leeds fans all young males who were a real pain. I deffo want to go back next year and not as a neutral.