SAINTS boss Kristian Woolf gave his thoughts, when the Star’s Mike Critchley caught up with him.

MC: What has been the mood in the camp after Saturday’s cup defeat?

KW: There is a lot of disappointment because we put a lot of effort into that game and for really long parts did a great job. We just let ourselves down in a couple of crucial moments.

There was a bit of luck in the opposition’s favour as well, but that is the way it goes sometimes.

St Helens Star:

MC: How big an impact did conceding that 40/20 have?

KW: It swung the game a little bit. If you have a look at the set leading into the 40/20 we had done a great job defensively and put them under enormous pressure.

They kicked that from the 30m line which is an indication of how hard we had worked defensively.

That took a bit of sting out – although they did not get a try out of that, what really hurt us was this being the start of a period where Warrington got a lot of possession and a number of ‘six agains’ as well.

We did not get to our fifth play on two or three occasions in that period as well and that amount of possession started to mount up on us. The 40/20 was the start of a number of things that put us under pressure.

St Helens Star:

MC: The two tries before the break, was that fatigue or poor concentration?

KW: It is the area we have to take from that game to see how we can be better. There were really good periods and lots of dominance at times, but we did clock off before half time and that hurt us. At that stage we had made 80 more tackles than the opposition so there is an element of fatigue as well – we are a good enough team with a good enough mindset to get through that. So that is what we need to make sure of.

St Helens Star:

MC: It left a second half mountain to climb?

KW: I was really happy with what we did in the second half and remember we lost two outside backs, which really hurt us. It led to two of our best forwards in Morgan Knowles and James Bentley playing in the centres and a guy like Louie, who we rely on to bring energy off the bench, having to play back row.

It was not simply that we lost two players, but it affected other things and our rotation as well. I was happy with our work in the second half and we were on top for the majority of that 40 minutes, but just couldn’t quite put it away a couple of times.

We had our chances and need to be a bit better.

MC: There seemed to be a few occasions where the Warrington ball carrier was either not being put on the floor or was landing on their knees to get a quick play the ball, was that down to fatigue or that first contact?

KW: I’d have to have a look at the examples you are talking about. But at the end of the day, particularly under the modern rules, when you are making so many more tackles than the opposition then fatigue is going to play a part.

St Helens Star:

MC: Warrington got more set restarts, is that down to something they were doing smarter or the way it was being interpreted?

KW: I am not sure where the six again is at the minute. There is not a clear cut reason as to why teams are getting them or not and it can be inconsistent.

It is frustrating but I really don’t know.

MC: Regarding the ball went forward from the Gelling header, have you sought clarification on the rules as to why that was not pulled back?

KW: I haven’t bothered, to be honest. It is not going to change the result. It is something Warrington got at the back end of the game – it was very lucky and in their favour, but that happens sometimes.

I, like you, could not believe it was awarded, but I am not going to bother chasing it up.

St Helens Star:

MC: So how do you point things forward again now it is the single focus in Super League?

KW: There are plenty of big games to go. Even though we are disappointed we need to move on from the loss and take positives out of it under some testing circumstances. I look at the game and see us dominant for big periods so take those positives.

MC: Anything different this week, with there being no game at the weekend?

KW: We gave the players an extra day off.

With games coming thick and fast from now on, after a bit of a whirlwind restart, there are some sore bodies and a bit of mental fatigue as well, particularly after a big game and a tough one.

St Helens Star:

MC: So preparing now for a first Wigan experience?

KW: Ever since I stepped foot in town, everyone has made me really aware of how big the game is and how big that rivalry is.

I am looking forward to experiencing it.