5 Talking Points From Saints 12 Huddersfield Giants 16

Congratulations Jon Wilkin

We might as well start on a positive note because there isn’t going to be much else to cheer in this five-pronged review of another dismal defeat. Jon Wilkin announced on his podcast this week that he will be leaving Saints at the end of the season after 16 years. Signed in 2002 from his hometown and boyhood club Hull KR, Wilkin played in Saints 2006 treble-winning team, making the Super League Dream Team that year. No mean feat considering the number of club legends, Super League legends in fact, who graced the side that particular year. Wilkin also played in four Challenge Cup final successes for Saints and the 2007 World Club Challenge victory over Brisbane Broncos.

Despite some fierce criticism at times Wilkin has had a great career at Saints, racking up almost 400 appearances while also playing 10 times for England and six times for Great Britain. He has suffered from being played out of position in the halves for too long and from his inconsiderate refusal to be Paul Sculthorpe, but he remains among the most decorated players in the domestic game especially in the Super League era. It’s not quite clear whether he intends to continue playing away from Saints but both Rovers and Toronto Wolfpack have been linked with him in the wake of his decision. Whether he goes to either of those clubs, concentrates on his media work or his business interests we wish him well in the future and thank him for a career of which he can be immensely proud.

Another Slow Start Costs Saints

You won’t need me to remind you that Saints were 27-0 down at half time during last weekend’s Challenge Cup semi-final against Catalans Dragons. The phrase ‘still on the bus’ has never been more apt. And it proved costly as despite a better second half effort their Wembley hopes withered on the vine. So if nothing else you would have expected Justin Holbrook’s side to get out of the blocks quickly this week.

Well, no actually. It was like Bolton all over again in the first 20 minutes. Except that I could hear the noise from the crowd (including the cow bell in the visitors section) without the aid of a speaker system. Good thing too since the speaker system in the north stand at Saints has been dysfunctional since Gareth O’Brien was running around in the red vee. Darnell McIntosh crossed twice for Simon Woolford’s side in the opening quarter while Danny Brough also put Alex Mellor through a gap in the frazzled Saints defence. Suddenly Saints found themselves 16-0 down and chasing the game. All a stark contrast to the last time the Giants visited when Saints routed them 66-4.

Despite a rally sparked by Ben Barba’s fine try five minutes before half time Saints could only add one more score through Luke Thompson in the second half. James Roby and Morgan Knowles both went close but in the final analysis we could have few complaints about the result after what was another, uninspired, jaded-looking performance from the league leaders.

Clap-gate

Social media platforms are a dark and disturbing place at times and never more so than after a Saints defeat. The latest heinous crime to be seized upon by everyone with a keyboard and an entitlement to an opinion was committed by Barba when he allegedly failed to clap the fans at the end of the game. Invitations for him to fuck off home were mashed out liberally by twitchy-thumbed, spoilt fans desperate for a reason to unleash their frustrated wrath.

Now let’s have this right. It is utterly puerile to want rid of one of the best players to have graced Super League in years because of some perceived lack of respect. It is not a lack of respect at all. The man is playing injured probably and that, plus the fact that it is affecting his form and subsequently the team’s results is likely causing a whole heap of frustration. At that moment he is probably not in the mood to be posing and smiling for photographs with fans or clapping or waving to people who genuinely believe that the price of their season ticket covers player interaction. If he had done any of that after a defeat he risked receiving the sort of treatment that Wilkin regularly receives, accusations that defeats don’t bother him and look at him smiling and shaking hands with people the villainous pug.

Ben Barba’s time at Saints has been a triumph so far. He has elevated the team’s performance on the field while off it he has constantly gone out of his way to meet fans, have pictures taken and engage with the community. He has no obligation whatsoever to do any of that in the immediate aftermath of a game when emotions are running high. Much of the criticism he has received stems from the fact that following a couple of mischievous articles in the Australian press this week some fans have made their minds up that he has already signed with an NRL club for next season and they just can’t forgive him for it. Now I don’t know if he has or he hasn’t, but if he has it should come as no surprise to all but the most naïve among us. Who expected him to stay for the duration of a two and a half year contract when he can earn six times as much in the NRL?

If Barba has agreed a deal elsewhere then perhaps we should be told but until then why should he have to say anything? Nobody is asking Kyle Amor to confirm that he will be with us next season. And why? Because nobody gives a fuck. Fear of losing Barba is addling the brains of some supporters and they need to wobble their heads quick-smart before Barba gives up on them for what is left of his stay.

Can Justin Find The Answers?

Holbrook’s comments in the wake of this defeat are instructive;

“There were too many tired bodies, too many guys couldn’t get up for it.” He said, adding;
“Sunday’s game was always going to knock us around. We came with the right intentions but there are a lot of mentally and physically tired boys and that’s when you make dumb errors.”

Clear enough then as to the coach’s thoughts on why it is not going so well at the moment but if the problem is just fatigue what can he do about it? The next game arrives quickly, with Saints visiting Wakefield on Thursday (August 16) in their next Super 8s fixture. It is not until Catalans face Warrington at Wembley the following weekend that Saints will get a chance to rest up those tired bodies and minds. So many of the same players who sleepwalked through this one will have to go again at Wakefield, a venue where it should be remembered we have already lost once this season back in April.

Regan Grace missed the Giants game with a dead leg and so may be ready to come back in a little more fresh, but that only offsets the fact that Adam Swift limped out of the game late with what looked like a wrist injury. Ryan Morgan has missed the last two and his return would be more than welcome but Dominque Peyroux and Alex Walmsley are still some way off. The likes of Thompson, Amor, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Matty Lees will need to carry the load again and the stark reality is that in the last two games they have been bullied and battered into submission by more determined, more focused opponents. Saints will need the experience of Wilkin and Roby more than ever and the introduction of Matty Smith might not be the worst idea in the world either. Danny Richardson has toiled just as much as Barba over the last month or so and was particularly woeful against Woolford’s side. The calls for him to fuck off back to Widnes have been somewhat less audible and rightly so, but when he was introduced to the first team most fans understood that it was on the proviso that he would have dips in form and may need to be stood down from time to time. He is still young and maybe that time is now.

Fans Need To Do Their Bit

Not everyone was sniping at Barba in the wake of this defeat but there were some other troubling signs among the support. First of all was the actual attendance. A mere 8,879 were on deck which is some way below the average attendance not only this year but for all of the time since we moved to Langtree Park in 2012. Taking into account that Huddersfield don’t have a vast travelling support that is still a disappointing turnout. The Giants following is so poor that the east stand was left entirely unused and there were plenty of gaps among the seats ordinarily occupied by home fans.

Was this a response to what many felt was an unacceptable performance at Bolton last week? How many won’t show up after a performance that they perceive to be unacceptable? More than we would like to think by the looks of it. Did it have anything to do with the clash with the first live Premier League game on Sky between Manchester United and Leicester City? Many Saints fans are also Manchester United fans but you would not have thought that there were so many that it would have a genuinely adverse effect on the size of the crowd.

Of those that did make it to the ground some failed to cover themselves in glory by leaving a full four minutes before the end. At this point Saints were 16-12 down and pressing for the try which would have rescued the points and maintained their 10-point buffer at the top of the table. These people, if they are regulars and know the history of their side, should know better than to write off their team’s hopes with fully four minutes still to play. There was no miracle on this occasion, no last-gasp Wide To West moment to savour. But as long as there is a chance why not stick around to find out if they can pull it off? What else are you going to do in four minutes? Publishable answers only, please.

We love to criticise Wigan for their infamous ‘walk’ yet the bold but uncomfortable truth is that we are just as bad at times. With the team going through this rough period in what has been a fabulous season so far we really need to do our bit to get them across the line in the league and to Old Trafford for the Grand Final.