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SAINTS CHASING WIGAN RECORD


As St Helens inch ever closer to the remarkable Challenge Cup record of their great rivals Wigan, their belief appears to grow stronger that they will never actually emulate the feat of their neighbours.

Saints made it three in a row with all the inevitability of a wet English summer with Saturday's 28-16 triumph over a gallant Hull, who at least succeeded in making this year's final a true contest.

With their 12th win in all, St Helens edged ahead of Leeds into second place behind Wigan, whose record eight successive Wembley wins from 1988-95 helped take their total to 17.

Such has been St Helens' success since the advent of Super League in 1996, it seems only a matter of time before they eclipse the record of their rivals but there seems to be a realisation among the Saints players that all good things must come to an end.

The constraints of the salary cap make it virtually impossible for one club to dominate in the way Wigan did in the late Eighties and early Nineties when they ran the only full-time team and were able to buy up most of the playing talent across the world.

Saints have been sailing so close to the wind with the salary cap that coach Daniel Anderson was unable to add to his squad during the last close season, other than by promoting youngsters from the academy.

Finances remain so tight that, despite the imminent departure of club captain Paul Sculthorpe and three other senior players, they are likely to be restricting new coach Mick Potter to just two extra faces for 2009.

It was even suggested in the immediate aftermath of Wembley that the exit of Sculthorpe, along with that of their coach, potentially marked the end of an era at Knowsley Road but there are no immediate signs of a demise and it is probable that St Helens will once more be the team to beat in 2009.

Had fellow veterans Sean Long and Keiron Cunningham been joining Sculthorpe, Willie Talau and Nick Fozzard through the exit door, it would have represented a major changing of the guard.

But Cunningham is set to follow the example of centre Matt Gidley - another thirty-something - by signing a new 12-month deal and, alongside Long and Paul Wellens and their new coach, will ensure there is a smooth transition to the next generation.

And, in James Roby, Jon Wilkin and James Graham, St Helens are well blessed to plug the gaps, with an even younger crop of youngsters led by Kyle Eastmond waiting further down the conveyor belt.

As it stands, Leeds are the only team capable of challenging Saints for honours and their recent impressive return to form augurs well for a highly competitive Grand Final.

Catalans, Warrington, Bradford and Wigan will be hoping to have a say in the Grand Final series shake-up but all lack the consistency to be regarded as serious competitors.

Indeed, it is difficult to see where the challenge to the big two will come from in 2009.

The Dragons will find it impossible to maintain their rate of improvement while Bradford, Warrington and Wigan still have much ground to make up.






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sailing close to the cap thye ahve broke it 4 years on the trot :conf:

The Snakes have on board some fine young talent and it hurts me to say this but they did get the cream of the crop last year when Mr Bell missed out on at least three or four of the best players at the age of 16 in the country, all going to the Snakes.

There is one player and I will not mention his name who has gone to the Snakes, a young 16 year old lad who when playing in Oz last year was hunted by most clubs over there and was pronounced by them as being one of the finest young players ever to play the game at that age... and yip the snakes have him!

O boy!

Wigan Watcher wrote: There is one player and I will not mention his name who has gone to the Snakes, a young 16 year old lad who when playing in Oz last year was hunted by most clubs over there and was pronounced by them as being one of the finest young players ever to play the game at that age... and yip the snakes have him!
O boy!

Wigan have a player called Shaun Ainscough who was rated as the best player in the England U18 test in Australia even though England were battered by the Aussies.

Wigan Watcher wrote:The Snakes have on board some fine young talent and it hurts me to say this but they did get the cream of the crop last year when Mr Bell missed out on at least three or four of the best players at the age of 16 in the country, all going to the Snakes.

There is one player and I will not mention his name who has gone to the Snakes, a young 16 year old lad who when playing in Oz last year was hunted by most clubs over there and was pronounced by them as being one of the finest young players ever to play the game at that age... and yip the snakes have him!

O boy!

Lomax, Jonny ? watcher?

what johnny lomaz one of the best ever at under 16's ?

you are kiding arnt you, dont get me wrong he is a fantastic talent, but ive played with better players...

They can chase all they want nothing will ever beat 8-in-a-row

How good was I Shawcross. I strode across Fisher Yard like Wally Lewis

Our eight in a row will never be beaten. Sleep easy. Remember that also included 6 Championship/Cup Doubles. And they make a great deal of Stains winninng 12 of the last 11 derby games. If we played them four times a season at our peak we would have relegated them. And would they have complained when we beat them 4 times? Course they would.

East Stand Al wrote:Our eight in a row will never be beaten. Sleep easy. Remember that also included 6 Championship/Cup Doubles. And they make a great deal of Stains winninng 12 of the last 11 derby games. If we played them four times a season at our peak we would have relegated them. And would they have complained when we beat them 4 times? Course they would.

love that comment