Woolf Q&A: Tight games, pack duel, Welsby and Simm progress, Louie's impact

MC: Do you welcome a tight game like that, ahead of a cup tie?

KW: You get better at playing tough games by being a part of tough games. That is the same by winning games in golden point and doing it with 12 men.

We got a lot of good experiences at the weekend and we handled those situations really well.

I think some people viewed it as not a high quality game, but if you look at all the data we got back through GPS it was a really high intensity game, high quality game and high speed game.

Hull KR are playing well and with confidence and they are going to beat some teams, there is no doubt. What they have done over the past three weeks is not a fluke – three strong performances and showing some consistency.

MC: And that’s the first time Saints have won a golden point?

KW: I was not aware of that and the good thing is I don’t carry some of the negatives you see either. But I thought we handled that situation really well.

The game was so tight that I always felt like we were going to find a way to win it. When were really challenged at the end we did that.

The most pleasing thing for me was the way accepted that challenge and found a little bit more in what we were doing and make the game go in our favour. We just know that that is there to be drawn on whenever we need it again.

And we will need that again at some stage.

MC: Some poor ball control made life difficult on the night?

KW: I thought across the board we had a lack of discipline - with and without the ball.

That meant we were giving the opposition more sets and opportunities than they deserved.

We had plenty of effort and good things about us, but we put extra pressure on ourselves through a lack of discipline.

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MC: It seemed some focused on Jack Welsby’s two errors more than anybody else’s?

KW: I am not one bit concerned about Jack’s errors at all – the really towering kick was difficult for anyone to catch and the second one floated in and a round a lot of people who hesitated on it, when you get hesitation you can get errors – I don’t think that was all down to Jack at all.

He has been terrific for us the last three weeks, in particular.

I thought he showed some real class for his try and for the other one, from a line ball, that was called back for a forward pass.

I am happy with how he is coming along as a player and at the moment he is doing a great job on the wing and is getting better with what he is doing, both attack wise and in defence.

We will figure out at some stage what his best position is, but he going to be a terrific player wherever we put him.

MC: Looking at Warrington, they get half a dozen players back after a fortnight off, will that help them at all be fresher?

KW: It does not make any difference we have played without six or seven guys too. Every team is having to chop and change whether through Covid or through injury. We are all in the same boat. I don’t think the changes will have any impact on them or on us.

They have a good forward pack, but so too do we and so it is going to be a good battle there in the middle.

Those battles always go a long way to winning big games, that is for sure.

MC: Win on Saturday and it will throw up a headache in balancing selection for the big game at Wigan on a Wednesday and then a cup semi-final three days later. But that is a headache that you want?

KW: While we are healthy a bit of internal competition is good for your group and it keeps blokes honest. We have some big games coming up so that motivates players to want to be at their best as well.

That can change quickly, during this Covid period, so while we have competition for spots we need to enjoy it.

MC: Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook return this week – did you miss his impact off the bench last week?

KW: We did miss him last week and he will definitely be back this week. He will be fresh and will bring what he offers every week, some real enthusiasm from the bench, he enjoys playing with the guys he is on the field with and they go really well together.

He brings a change of speed to the game as well. It will be good to have him back.

MC: How do you assess Josh Simm’s development after his home debut?

KW: Josh has gone really well and he got a little bit better at the weekend. He did a really good job and asked all the things we asked him to do against Huddersfield, that was a good introduction.

But in a tougher game against Hull KR where he was challenged a little bit more he came up really well.

MC: The other side of the coin is the more those young players play, then the greater the strength in depth of that backline?

KW: Josh will keep getting better and do a really good job for us because he a really good footy player.

We are not throwing Josh in now because it is going to develop him for down the track, but because he deserves to be there from his performances in training, backed on the field.