St Helens were desperate for a week off, admits Justin Holbrook

St Helens coach Justin Holbrook was glad his squad got a week off to rest and recuperate ahead of their play-off win over Wigan.

The Saints reached the Super League Grand Final for the first time since 2014 as they defeated old enemy Wigan 40-10 on Friday night.

St Helens had a week off before the derby clash, while the Warriors had to play Salford the week before.

Holbrook commented: “I knew we needed a week off because we got to the Challenge Cup final.

“What some fans don’t realise is that teams get weeks off if you don’t get to the Challenge Cup final.

“You play every single week when you are in the Challenge Cup final so I could tell in the last three or four weeks of the competition that we were desperate for a week off.

“We had a couple of days to freshen up but then we had some hard training and some alternative activities, so I thought we came into the game with our preparation being fantastic and we performed when it mattered.”

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