Cunningham delighted with Saints’ dog pack mentality

St Helens coach Keiron Cunningham enjoyed watching his team beat Castleford Tigers last Friday night.

He was particularly pleased with the team’s collective attitude, and the way that they chased and harried when they had to.

“For me it was quite a good victory,” he said.

“I wasn’t too concerned with how we got it, it was just a matter of getting it.

“We were a little bit dumb at times with our game management and how we controlled the ball.

“But our will and our want was very good. We hung in there, and we tracked back, and we chased down

“It was like a pack of dogs at times, it was good to watch.

“For large periods of the game, I did feel that we were the better side.

“Even though at times you could tell Castleford were the fresher side and hadn’t played just five days before.

“We just got on with it. We never complained about it and just got our job done.

“All credit to the players.”

A Jon Wilkin drop goal six minutes from time helped seal the win for Saints. The instruction to try for the one-pointer was sent down from the head coach himself.

“You’ve got to make those calls, and we sent the message down to do that,” Cunningham explained.

“It gives you a little bit of a breathing space, and you get a feel for how the game’s going.

“I knew Castleford hadn’t finished, even though it looked like we were in control.

“I knew they’d still got points in them. They throw the ball about a lot, they really challenge you.

“They’re a great attacking side, and we know they would come back at us again, so Jon drops the drop goal.

“It just gives you a tiny bit of breathing space, and probably everyone was asking why he did it at the time.

“But when it came to the last 10 minutes of the game, everybody was probably thinking it was a good call.”