St Helens have confirmed their status as the best side of the Super League era in British rugby league, defeating Leeds Rhinos 24-12 at Old Trafford to pick up their fourth consecutive championship.
It was the culmination of Kristian Woolf’s time at the club, who he will now leave to join the Dolphins as Wayne Bennett’s assistant before taking the top job in 2024.
It was a classic Saints performance: they ground Leeds into the dust through constant pressure and bruising defence before letting their skills make the difference. Outside of Penrith, they might be the best-drilled rugby league team on Earth.
“Of course, it’s my greatest achievement,” said Woolf. “Winning my first grand final was my greatest achievement, so being able to do three in a row is absolutely outstanding.
“But, as I’ve said all along, it’s not me, it’s this group of men. They’ve been absolutely outstanding and they deserve everything they get.
“They deserve to be known as the best team in the Super League era – there’s no doubt about that.
“You can’t compare eras, in terms of who are the better players. But you can compare success and results and that’s what this group deserve.
“I love the way they fight. That bond they’ve got, that desire not to let each other down, is certainly the best I’ve ever dealt with.”
Leeds were manful in their efforts, but are not on the same level as the Saints. They have been reborn under new coach Rohan Smith, who joined from Q Cup side Norths Devils midyear after a horror start had seen the Rhinos flirting with relegation.
The commentary had it right: Leeds under Smith have been the best side of the last four months, but unfortunately ran into the best side of the last four years.
“We had a good crack,” he said. “We played a bit and got close against a team who know how to play on this stage and they outplayed us today
“We’ve got to get better, we gave ourselves a good opportunity, we gave it a crack but it’s time to reflect and learn some stuff. They were 12 points more clinical.
“There’s a lot of trust and belief in the playing group and we galvanised through some tough times.
“You’d still rather be here and cop a hard defeat than not be here at all. You’ve got to be willing to taste defeat to have the good days. It’s a great club and we’re proud of what we’ve done.”
Saints began like a house on fire, with Matty Lees scoring the fastest try in Grand Final history, and extended it through young gun fullback Jon Bennison.
Leeds struck back with a superb try on the brink of halftime with livewire dummy half Kruise Leeming touching down, but within moments of restart, Konrad Hurrell scored a trademark bargeover to take the lead back out to two tries.
Mark Percival put the Saints further ahead and Rhyse Martin pulled it back, but the late control from St Helens stopped any comeback in its tracks.
All the team list information for Round 9.
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