As much as I wanted to, I purposely refrained from posting for a few days as just like 99 percent of this forum, I was bitterly upset, angry (insert superlative here) about Saturday. Like really, really down about it for days.

After having a few days to think about it, yes I'm still disappointed we couldn't take what was a huge opportunity but I've taken the time time to have a think about recent years and our improvement this season.

Last year we were dull, really dull to watch and our performances and final league standing backed that up. Yes the attacking rugby certainly wasn't as fluent towards the end of this year than it was at the beginning, but multiple injuries, knocks and bumps to Sandow and Gidley certainly won't have helped in that respect.

In the space of 12 months we've gone from not challenging in the slightest (Sandows debut against Leeds one game that sticks in my mind, shocker) to challenging on all fronts and not being too far away from winning the lot.

I won't go in to who we should sign and what positions etc as that's been done to death on other threads but with a couple of new faces we could be in a good position again.

Anyone else's train of thought moved on somewhat since Saturday now the emotions have dropped?

I'm really positive about next season. I'm still a bit dissapointed but in Cooper and Crosby plus hopefully Dodds, our front row is transformed. I don't think you'll find a better front row in Hill, Clark and Cooper anywhere in Sl. A fully fit Sandow will be amazing again paired with Gidley.

In the opening few months of the season no-one really got anywhere near us bar Hull away and we had a few missing that day and that stupid giveaway v stains at home where we missed Sandow. What some people seem to be missing is that with all our pack injuries on Saturday, our regulars were having to play at their best and compensate for others against a fully charged and strong Wigan pack. If we had just Currie and Westwood available I believe it would have changed the dynamic of the game considerably, not to mention if we had Dodds available and add Cooper to that.

With a pack making yards, it gives our backs more space and the likes of Evans will look better. He's not at international standard but he's not that bad either and didn't look out of place early season when we were playing good rl. As well we have to be realistic and can't expect to have dreanteamers in every position, especially with the salary cap.

Next season I think Wigan will be stronger especially with Mcllorem, Manfriedi and the Tompkins brothers back, plus additions in Luluei and Burgess. I can see Hull having another good season. Can't see any other major threat and that includes Jack Black and the Poundstretchers (would pay to see a band with that name but not the rugby team).

Bring on next season. COYW.

Ah, a bit of perspective in these two great posts. Think some people forget how bad we actually were in 2015 and how much we have improved on that this season.

After two seasons of transition, we've improved massively and could've easily won the lot. We've got our faults, I'll admit but with a few good signings in the obvious areas in need of improvement, we'll improve once more and be there or there abouts once again next year.

Yes. The only way to describe how I felt the first couple of days after would be like someone close had died, I felt absolutely shattered. We've had better teams over the years but this one really was a huge opportunity to win it, with Leeds out of the way for the year, injuries to others in the league etc. It's only yesterday I started thinking a bit more logically about this season. It's been great fun at times, a huge improvement all round on 2015. A bit more luck with injuries and some reinforcements to the team (props/centre) I can see us pushing Wigan for the title again.

Our luck has to change sometime!

I'm bitterly disappointed about Saturday and also the challenge cup final now on more reflection, however I'm really happy with the progress made this season. I think the team added entertainment value as well, the first game against Cas springs to mind the first half was the best I have seen from us for a good few seasons. Oh how we could have done with that on Saturday. I'm a bit annoyed about penny missing out back end as he is an actual finisher and winger, for me we looked unbalanced for the back end of the season even when we beat Hull and Saints. I think adding Penny we could have moved matty to full back where he is best and ratchford (who has been excellent this season IMO, especially in the latter part of the season) to centre to help Lineham out, that would have also meant our weak link Evans would have been back up which is what hen should be.

I'm excited about Toby King and Declan Patton I think those 2 have big futures, Toby especially. I hope he is first choice centre next season so he can improve the way he deserves to I think he's a really classy player. George King also impressed me towards the end, looking back with injuries etc he has been asked to do a lot of work in the front row this season perhaps before he was ready and its done him the world of good, he'll drop down the pecking order next season but he is able back up, is reliable in terms of availability and now performance, plus he has some top class people to learn from in our pack. Onwards and upwards we need to be better next season as the competition will be.

I think the quality of super league was poor this year, which was highlighted by wigan dominating in the final despite so many injuries.

I remember people saying hull were fortunate with injuries, and they weren't actually that good.

Maybe we were same, except they managed to take advantage and win a trophy of note.

I think we have a mix of very good players Clark, hill, Curry, ratchford... But we have to much money tied up in gidley and Sandow who aren't seemingly that great for different reasons.

We looked better with ratchford and Patton in the halves but you cannot drop players on huge contracts easily.

If Toby King has a big off season, and replaces evans at centre next year maybe that will give us the cutting edge in the backs we desperately need, he certainly has a better rugby brain than evans.

I don't think we have enough salary cap space to replace bring in a quality back, and we can't get rid of Gidley big contract unfortunately.

I don't think it is unfortunate, Gidley made dream team and has been a big player for us as has Sandow. I think at the start of the season when both were fresh we looked above and beyond any other side. Since then they have been injured/ carrying knocks, plus we haven't been able to rotate because too many of our back up players have been injured. We have had bad injury problems ourselves this season which has meant too many of our starting players have been playing patched up. I'd like to see Gidley at 1 and ratchford at centre or HB but it depends what happens with signings. We will be freeing up quite a lot of cap space given the players that have already left/ seem to be on their way out.

We aren't far off but we need better cover (Blythe) and a couple of quality backs. Gidley and a fit Sandow are important players for us.

Seriously?

Strangely although I'm down about the weekend (easy in hindsight to say we were too conservative), it still was nowhere near as bad as the match against them when we blew the lead a few weeks ago.
That had me questioning whether I wanted to continue watching them after 'too many' years.

Next year will be more difficult because I can't see all the sides suffering from injuries as they have done this year (and yes I include the goons in that). I've really never known as many injuries overall in a season.

As we stand I could see us finishing behind Wigan and Saints nest year and maybe a few others.

I think it's worse Fez.
vs Pies in the league we were better than them for much of the game. Ita safe to say, with a rematch we ought to win.
vs Pies in GF we were 2nd best for much of the game.

Something seriously went wrong as we went backwards from the game a fortnight earlier.

Through the season most teams and fans of these team know that we are better than them, but they also know that we will crumble in the big games, this is a mentality thing and needs serious work if it is to be curtailed.

We lost the game before we had even took to the pitch....

Two interviews prior to the GF one from TS and the other off SW.

TS 'We'll win a GF, may not be this one, but we'll win one soon' (quote close enough, gone off memory)

SW 'it'll go down as the biggest prize this club has ever had...that bus will not be leaving Old Trafford with out that trophy' (quote close enough, gone off memory)

Now make of that what you will, but the signs are negative from TS and positive from SW IMO.

Nonsense.

Before their hammering by St Helens in 2014's Grand Final, Shaun Wane said, “It’s life or death. It’s non-negotiable. We have to get this win, we will.”. Nathan Brown said, "It's going to be hard".

If you'd won you'd be gloating about how great you are instead of the post-mortum and you'd be calling Wane arrogant and saying his arrogance inspired you to win. What a coach says to the press is irrelevant, most players won't hear it.

Consider what Gelling tweeted then: "I'm either walking off with a ring or being carried off with a toe tag". It was pretty much life and death for that lot, not just hot air from the coach. As an aside he didn't shine as brightly on Saturday, think we actually did well to shut him down. Just a shame about the other 12!

Don't care much for Wane to be fair. Although he was gracious and complementary after the game, I really couldn't give a hoot what he said beforehand. All billy big balls and bravado which we've all heard before and overcome in the past when turning them over numerous times.

We lost because we never got going, their pack bossed our under strength pack and they were the better team. Not because of who said what beforehand.