I've expressed plenty of doubt about Smith in the past, based on his ratio of successful plays to errors. All halves get it wrong sometimes, and nothing ventured, nothing gained. But the bad stuff needs to be few and far between. He's really come on this year under Peet, though. Like many, I'll reserve judgement until I've watched the game back on TV, but he was there for the big plays that mattered, and really won the game for us.

Under Peet or under Briers?

Your lot are the masters at the professional foul.

Another to add to the list of things we are masters at. Like winning the cup.

#20times

The masters of unrivalled greatness, safe in the knowledge that our noisy geographical neighbours will always be in our shadow and when the people outside of the M62 corridor are asked about rugby league, they speak of Wigan not St Helens. The side too scared to play Penrith that became Australia's laughing stock.

As Eggy said

#20times

you are sounding like a bitter Stain,
Farrell had to cop a high shot or hadnt you seen that with your Stain glasses on.

All that matters is the best team won,you know the one with the most points !!!

Considering that Briers is under Peet, and that Smith is under ALL of the coaching staff, it's both.

That’s all he is. For balance, I thought it was a yellow (only one of them though), on the referee if they want to play that game

I also thought the holding down on French just before half time was a yellow

McQueen’s try had 2 obstructions in it, both lead runners ran straight into defenders, pretty much the same as the one that was given against us in the first set.

I’d question why the game was stopped for Hill’s leg injury but not for Thornley’s.

The bottom line, for all the talk of them being the better side for large parts of the game, they weren’t good enough to register more points than us. That’s the only stat that matters.

Far from bitter pal

To scared to play Penrith? Ha ha

nice to know pal

Does every thread have to degenerate into this?

No.

We scored 3 tries of absolute top quality.
All of those tries had to be worked for and all of them had first class skills and delivered at a fantastic pace.
Ive been lucky enough to see us score some great CCF tries over the years and yesterday's 3 are in my top 10 of all time.
Smithies offload was brilliant and the lad is improving leaps and bounds.
Fields try was a classic. Brilliant passing finished with astonishing pace from French & Field.
Marshall is the most underrated winger in the competition and I love the fact that he was our match winner in the SF & Final.

Smith played almost single handedly in the halves, knocked on early in the game in his own 20 and didn't get his usual support from the second row but still managed to score a blinder and set up a brilliant winner. The lad is still really just a kid but has the capacity to mature into a top class HB for club and country.