Paul Wood tweeted he's sitting in hospital as I speak having treatment for a ruptured testicle, oh the glamour!
Briish Rugby League, best game in the world played by the best sportsmen in the world, and I'm glad I'm lucky enough to have been born into it

This.

Getting to the grand final itself was the major hurdle to overcome. We lost because of a lack of experience on that stage (whereas Leeds have it in bucketloads). We are still learning as a team and this was just another step on the ladder. Within the next five years we'll reach at least one more final, if not many more.

How does this thing of having to lose a final to learn how to win one work?

We didn't have to lose a Challenge Cup final to learn how to win one, we got to three and won them all. Leeds have lost six so how many do they need to learn to win one?

If we had beaten Leeds last year in the playoff but lost to Saints in the Grand Final, could that have been the difference that got us the extra 2 tries today?

In 2004 a young leeds team played their first grand final against an experienced bulls team. They won!

So this thing of having to lose one to win one isn't true, it's just there for consolation because losing the 'first one' is a b*tch. Losing it isn't so bad when you've had recent wins. But the first one, it's a kick in the nuts.

I'm okay about it really. We didn't deserve to win.

The game was very poor for me. Neither team played well, we just knocked it on a lot and offered Leeds good field position.

If either team had turned up at their best they would have trounced the other side. Leeds were poor-ish, Wire were shyite.

In 2009 we were fortunate enough to have played Huddersfield, who had a similar lack of finals experience themselves, so that helped us get a grip on the occasion. Leeds, on the other hand, haven't won the cup since 1999, and repeated finals defeats can take their toll on a side. Likewise, their repeated grand final victories allow them to be in their element when another final comes, as they know how to handle the occasion perfectly. For me, it is similar to our own hoodoo against Saints; after one win, we were subsequently able to rack up several.

Can't agree with this......It was a good, tight game of rugby, between two well matched sides. The only difference being Kevin Sinfield.

Put simply, if you were giving marks out of 10 for each player's performance, 33 players would have got 6 or 7 out of 10, Sinfield was a definite big 9.....None of our players raised their game to the level needed to win a Grand Final, or more importantly, Leeds did not allow us to raise our game.

First rule of Rugby League tactics is to stifle the opposition, if you do that you are 80% there.....We didn't stop Sinfield and it sadly told.

Wewere just trumped by a more enthused, more experienced Leeds side. Sorry pal, but I have to disagree with your assessment there.

To me the Wire didn't play thebest we have seen but Leeds didn't allow us and credit to them for what they have achieved. Soreline wise the game was balanced until the last 10 mins when they pulled away. So a tight intense game, but to say Leeds were poor and Wires were , sorry have to disagree.

You just have to read threads from neutrals and they were calling it a brilliant, immense game best GF for years etc.

Were were there, just not good enough.

Thought Leeds were pretty good and stifled Wire when they needed to. Leeds were more composed on the day and won the battle up front over the course of the 80 mins.

Very disappointed because if we had played 10-15% better the game was there to be won. Apologies for the cliche

The long journey home commences sat in Manc airport and thoughts of my next live game on Boxing Day.......

I feel more disappointed today. It must be a delayed reaction. I've been thinking about how close we were to winning the big prize, it really was within our grasp if we had had one better 20 minute session of rugby. Just watching the end of game montage on Sky and thinking it could have been Adrian Morley lifting the Super League trophy, Briers and Westwood coming up to the fans with the trophy at the end and us double winners and assured of a place in history as one of the greatest.

You never know what will happen in the future and if we slide back down next season, players retire and TS leaves we may yet end up looking back at this moment as the closest we got to ever touching the SL title. For many years we looked back at the Jonathan Davies era and missing out on the title to Wigan on points difference as what might have been.

I guess all of us that are Wire fans these days have to be thankful to Simon Moran, Tony Smith and the great players that have worn our jersey, Briers, Morley, Westwood, the Monaghans, Hodgson, Carvell, Waterhouse, these guys have given us something we haven't had for years which is the chance to enjoy a quality set of players play good rugby and have great spirit and pride in the jersey. They have allowed us to have hope of winning the title. Next year will probably be the last chapter of this era of Wires so lets make the most of it and appreciate them and maybe they'll do it.

Maine Road challenge cup semi 1989. Nothing will ever come close........

Now i was just talking about this game, talking of tension at a game, this was the scariest game i've ever been too, i was 10 years old and remember being terrified after the game.