KEIRON Cunningham said his side portrayed true grit and determination to come through their game against Huddersfield on Sunday afternoon.
Saints beat the Giants 11-8 to keep up the pressure on Leeds at the top of the table.
“It has been tough for everyone involved in this three game section of the competition,” he said. “We were tired and hung on in there. You’ve heard me say all season how good this group are – we weren’t smart at times – but true determination and grit got us through the day.
“It was a really scrappy game; an old school dog fight in the middle with not a lot of entertainment or skill going on. We just had to grind it out.
“I thought we deserved a little more from the three games but we were looking at a fourth loss in a row which is unusual for this club. The players were ready for it and although it wasn’t the greatest game we will take the points and move on to next week.”
Saints welcomed back Luke Walsh, Travis Burns and Jon Wilkin into the side – and they certainly made an impact.
“Luke got through unscathed,” Keiron added. “That was always going to be the worrying thing coming back from injury and he went as good as I expected him to. With the drop goal he did what Danny Brough has been doing all his life and brought us home.
“It was good to get them through as we’re pretty busted at the moment with a few long term injuries. We also look like we have lost Matty Dawson for eight to ten weeks also.
“A lot of other teams in the comp are in the same situation and hopefully we will keep on hanging in there and get better in attack.
“As a coach I have to get the team going well in attack again and I am confident we can do that.
“We need to rumble along, get points, and then those injuries players will come back for the run in. That will make us more healthier if we can stay reasonably fit.”
Next up for Saints are Leeds this coming Friday – a challenge Cunningham is already looking forward to.
“We’re going into three home games in front of a great set of fans who always help our cause. We’re excited about Leeds and we feel we have a point to prove.”
Tickets for Friday’s game are now on sale from the Ticket Office at Langtree Park, by calling 01744 455 052 or online here.
