IT was a very physcial game against Bradford Bulls on Sunday and so Monday was a day off for the Wolves players.
Bradford are the biggest side we come up against in a season which made it all the more demanding and with us being all hyped-up for the semi-final it did take a lot out of us physically and mentally.
When we reported back for training on Tuesday there were still a lot of sore people.
During the game I was cut three times. I ended up with 10 stitches in one cut on my head and eight in another. I also had three stitches in a cut behind my ear.
I first caught a head off my own teammate Marty Masella and the next time I caught a knee off Bradford's Stuart Fielden on the other side of my head. It meant going off the field twice and the first time took a little bit longer to return because I had a little bit of concussion too.
It was my third semi-final of the Challenge Cup and I have lost in each one. Hopefully I will get another chance but there are a few players who will not get another chance like that.
In Tuesday's meeting the mood was really positive. We watched a lot of good things in the Bradford match video. A lot of positives came out of the game and we'll have to take them into this Saturday's game against Castleford and build from there.
We desperately need a win against Cas. If we put the same effort and commitment in as we did against Bradford then I think we'll come away with the points.
Hopefully we can give something back to the fans, in terms of putting a few wins together, on the back of their support at Huddersfield in the semi-final. The fans were fantastic and even though they were outnumbered by about three to one there was more noise coming from our supporters.
Our fans want results but at the same time if they see the players 100 per cent committed but miss out on a result they are happy. If we are committed like we were on Sunday then we'll win the majority of our games anyway.
I have been enjoying my rugby this year and one of the boosts for me was being able to train pre-season. It was my first pre-season build-up for four years which does help a lot. It gives a player his fitness to be maintained for the year.
Last year I missed pre-season because of a groin operation and the year before was before I signed for Warrington and I trained on my own, which is never the same. The previous year to that I was injured.
Playing for Wales in the World Cup was also a boost for me coming into this season.
Darryl is believing in me and is starting me in games. I feel a part of the team a lot more and it has all helped my performances.
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