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Get your hats, scarves, flags, streamers, stickers, face paints and, of course, a few tinnies – THE SAINTS ARE GOING TO WEMBLEY

 

A superb all round performance booked another appearance in a major final; the Champions not letting up in their pursuit of silverware.

 

Saints made a couple of changes from the team that beat Wigan last week. In came Sean Long in place of James Roby and James Graham stepped up from the bench to replace Jason Cayless who flew home on Wednesday to attend his mother’s funeral.

 

Keiron Cunningham made his 400^th appearance for the club and the Saints players laid a guard of honour for him when he came onto the pitch.

 

Missing from the last clash between the two a couple of weeks back, Iestyn Harris returned for Bradford.

 

Saints got an early opportunity to attack when Fozzie was caught high. From the resultant play Longy worked it out wide with an excellent cut out pass and Willie Talau flew in at the corner. Longy added the extras.

 

From the restart, Saints got another penalty and should have done better but Wello’s pass to Meli was cut out. If it hadn’t, Saints would have gone in again.

 

Next up were the Bulls. Three penalties in quick succession took them close to the try line. Glen Morrison went close but poor handling blew any chance of a score.

 

Both teams were a little scrappy in attack in the first quarter, with defence definitely king early doors – and the referees whistle piping up on too many occasions. Seven penalties were handed out in the first 15 minutes.

 

Deacon pulled the Bulls back after one of those penalties brought great field position. His kick was perfectly timed close to the line to encourage Evans to dive over. Fortunately for the Saints, his conversion attempt was high and wide.

 

The next score was pure world class Saints. The ball went through at least six pairs of hands, at speed, to leave Talau with a two on one to the line. He cut inside, squeezed out a great pass to Meli, who cut back and, with a lot of work to do, grabbed the four pointer.

 

A few minutes after some Bulls’ pressure, Saints made three changes – Bryn, Cloughie and Roby coming on for James Graham, Bennett and KC – and they instantly added more impetus to the attack, forcing a Bulls drop out after an innocuous looking kick. But, Saints forced the pass and the chance was gone.

 

When it did stick, jeez did it count. James Roby flew through a gap in midfield, fed Wello, who fired to Wilkin who then sent an unbelievable pass to Gidley; the Aussie outpacing everyone to go in. Longy made it a six-pointer; pinpoint accuracy from in front of the posts.

 

It was probably no more than the Saints deserved after upping the tempo in the final few minutes of the half.

 

And with the half time hooter blowing, Longy dropped a goal from fully forty yards out to cap a superb first half performance.

 

Saints started the second half with a great stint in defence; stifling the Bulls playmakers and defusing a clever little chip over that could have brought Bradford back into it.

 

Mr Safe himself, Paul Wellens, then defused another a few minutes later.

 

But the Bulls finally broke through with 25 minutes remaining. Good hands putting in Tupou, with the video ref giving the nod. The usually clinical Deacon missing the kick.

 

From the restart, Matt James dropped the ball gifting Saints possession on the Bulls 20 metre line.

 

And they made them pay. Longy mesmerised the defence to send in a rampaging Paul Clough for his second try in Saints colours and then the number seven added the extras.

 

With a quarter of the game left, the signs of fatigue were beginning to show. Passes where waylaid and there was plenty of dropped ball. James Graham defused a tricky grubber to give Bradford a drop out, and despite storming close to the line, poor handling denied the Bulls the scoring chance.

 

Robes then knocked on in his own 20 and from the resultant set, Vagana bulldozed over.

 

But that was the end of any potential comeback. A misplaced Bulls’ pass ended up in the welcome arms of Pryce who went 70 yards to seal the win.

 

Bennett then put the icing on the cake and Longy added the extras.

 

 

 

Tries: Talau, Meli, Gidley, Clough, Pryce, Bennett

Goals: Long (4 from 5), Wellens (1 from 1)

Drops: Long

Tries: Evans, Tupou, Vagana

Goals: Deacon (1 from 3)

 

Saints: 10

Bradford: 11

 

HT: 17-4

FT: 35-14

MOM: Keiron Cunningham

ATT: 14,316

REF: Richard Silverwood

 

Saints:

 

19. Michael Platt; 1.Marcus St Hilaire, 3. Ben Harris, 17. James Evans,  20. Tame Tupou; 6. Iestyn Harris, 7. Paul Deacon; 8. Joe Vagana, 9. Terry Newton, 10. Andy Lynch, 11. Chris McKenna, 26. David Solomona,12. Glenn Morrison.

Subs: 2. Nathan McAvoy, 16. Ian Henderson, 18. Sam Burgess, 23. Matt James.