Flannery seeks Grand Final revenge

St Helens loose forward Chris Flannery will be keen to banish memories of past clashes with Leeds Rhinos when the two sides meet in Saturday’s Carnegie Challenge Cup semi-final at the Galpharm Stadium, Huddersfield.

The Queenslander, who joined the Saints in 2007, has already suffered the disappointment of three consecutive Engage Super League Grand Final defeats to Leeds and is desperate to set the record straight.

“I’ve not got too many outstanding memories of games against Leeds. There’ve been a lot of disappointing matches that we’ve had against them and those three Grand Finals sit in the front of your mind,” said Flannery.

“They’re hard to forget. These games always go down to the wire with us and Leeds so it’s going to be tough.

“I think we played well against them last time, without a number of key players and hopefully we’ll get a few troops back and play to our best in the semi-final.”

Another big incentive for Flannery is to get his hands on some silverware after Saints drew a blank last season.

“Last year was disappointing for the whole club in not being able to bring any trophies back after the successful period we had before then,” he said.

“All the players are only too well aware that this is a club that strives for silverware every year and that’s what we want to do.

“We want to try and bring as much back this year as possible. We’re just a game away from the Challenge Cup final and that’s a competition we’ve got a great track record in.”

Tickets for the Carnegie Challenge Cup semi-final between Leeds Rhinos and St Helens at the Galpharm Stadium, Huddersfield, on Saturday August 7 (2.30pm), are priced from £18 (£5 concessions) and are on sale from the RFL  Ticket Office on 0844 8561113 or by visiting www.rugbyleaguetickets.co.uk.

Tickets for the Carnegie Challenge Cup final at Wembley on Saturday August 28 cost from just £21 and are available  from the RFL  Ticket Office on 0844 8561113 or by visiting www.rugbyleaguetickets.co.uk.