I think our sides in the main do treat it like a GF but the Aussies don’t. It was an amazing win and something Saints fans will rightfully remember forever, much as we do with 1994 in Brisbane. There’s no shame in admitting Penrith just thought they had to turn up and seemed to have very little interest in the game. A side spending multiple times what we can on their salary cap should be able to win, even with that type of attitude towards the game and the fact Saints beat them was incredible.

Unfortunately though if Saints fans want people to say they beat a fully motivated, fully focused and fully fit and firing Penrith team, that just won’t happen because it’s not true. I suspect they’ll be all of those when they play us because Saints pulled their pants down and it’ll be one hell of a challenge for us. If we pull it off, we’ll get the same things thrown at us though and I’ve no issue with that. To beat them, I think we’ll need them to be of a similar mindset as well.

Exactly. I've been laughing all weekend at certain Saints fans intimating they woulda/coulda won that game, completely missing the point that, unlike them, Wigan can play it in many different ways. Saints are more toothless than Catalans whereas, even in what is seen as an attritional final, we scored one, had one disallowed for a forward pass, another for crossing, one held up on the line and bombed another couple of clear cut chances. On another day that would have been 30+

Imagine if we'd played it free flowing...

It’s been absolutely hilarious! Some bloke who does Red Vee TV now and again tweeted they’d have butchered both sides

Presume he’s been sleeping during Saints games this past few months. They haven’t got a butchering in them against anybody, let alone the two sides on Saturday, defending like that. I can’t recall many scoring opportunities for Saints in the semi outside of the try for Hopoate. Wigan on Saturday created loads of opportunities and only some unbelievable last ditch tackling stopped that being a comfortable night.

Didn't we beat Brisbane with the majority of our pack missing as well? I know we had a few injuries going into the game for sure.

Aye, we were decimated if I remember correctly.

On a side note-Adam Keighran has been given a one game ban. I think he can use that in a friendly, so he should be ok for the first league game of 2024.

No Bell, Skerrett or Platt and Dermott really shouldn't have played but managed about 20mins before Hall came on

Mcginty (a pretty small 2nd rower never mind prop) Started prop with Cowie and with no other props available Mick Cassidy did some time there as well

When you consider Brisbane had Lazarus and Andrew Gee starting With another prop and 2 back rowers on the bench its astonishing

Betts, Farrell were great that day and Phil Clarke was Outstanding

But the Saints' fans would rather "trust their own eyes" and clearly that means Saints are still the best team and not a declining force at all. Don't forget they'd have butchered both teams on Saturday*!




*With apologies to the less deluded Saints fans.

When was the last time a team didn't score a try in a GF? I thought it might have been us Vs Bradford (one of my worst days as a Wigan fan), but when then we got a try.

Looking on Wiki, it doesn't seem like that's happened before. Quite a few 4 & 6 point scores.

1st team to keep an opponent Tryless in a GF (we were 30 seconds or whatever away from doing it in 2020)

Thanks

It would have been a blow out score if we’d played saints. They were on their last legs against Catalan.

A brilliant side but one whose prime cycle has come to an end.

Our started on Saturday.

Yeah, there is just no way a Saints fan could claim they’d butcher either side on Saturday. Maybe they’d have scraped past either side, who knows but that attack was dealt with pretty comfortably by Catalans the week before and we broke them up a good few times.