SAM Burgess and George Williams spoke to the media after Warrington Wolves booked their place in the Challenge Cup Final.
A dominant victory over Huddersfield Giants set up an enticing final against Wigan Warriors on June 8.
Here's everything Burgess and Williams said in the post-match press conference...
Q: Would “fantastic” about sum up that performance?
SB: Yeah, it was pretty good!
I thought we were scratchy at times in areas, but we took some nice tries in the first half with George and Duff (Matt Dufty) combining pretty well.
In terms of possession, we actually lost the first half so they came to play but there were some good tries out there.
I was really happy with the start – we’ve been pretty consistent in the last month or so barring the Salford game, so I was happy with them.
We’ve talked all year about trying to be consistent and today was another step forward as a club.
We handled the big occasion well and we’ve been calm all week. Our preparation has been consistent and the players are buying into what we’re doing.
From my point of view, I wasn’t surprised by the first half. There were areas in which we could have been better but we took the opportunities we created.
Q: You took a lot of opportunities as well?
GW: We scored some nice tries but for me personally, it was our defence.
We’re not being broken down too much – on one of them, I think we dropped the ball so that was our wrongdoing, so we’re a team that’s hard to break down.
We’ve got too many good players not to post points if we defend well.
Q: How about your 50-metre try?
GW: I was very tired after that!
Danny played really well and it was a great pass – our spine was very connected out there.
Huddersfield are a great team and throw some good shapes at you, but “clinical” was our word today.
Q: You played with George with England but how good is he at the minute?
SB: It’s moreso in his leadership – he’s always been a brilliant players, but the group respond to him.
There’s three or four of them in there that carry a lot of energy between the team and George is one of them.
The guys listen to him when he talks and he’s an easy guy to follow
Q: George touched on it but some of the efforts off the ball pretty much directly led to tries – there was a try-saver on Adam Swift and pretty much from that next set, you score. Then Ben Currie charges down a kick and Matt Dufty scores from there.
Is that the most satisfying part of today for you?
SB: They’re probably the most pleasing ones.
I liked the Ben Currie one – I reckon he’d have scored that a few years ago!
We’ve built our growth as a team around effort-based stuff and we won a couple of those moments tonight.
We’ve got to give Duff some credit – he’s doing some brilliant things on the ball but the cameras don’t pick up the stuff he does at the back.
He’s making more tackles than he misses now and to me, they’re more important than scoring.
Q: How special were those moments with the supporters at the end?
SB: It was great.
We’re in the final and I think the town is appreciative of the effort the players are putting in. We can feel the connection there.
It’s special for the guys.
GW: I think we owe them a final – I think it’s five years since our fans have tasted that.
The job’s not done – there’s one game to go and we’re playing a very good Wigan side, but it’s set up to be a cracker.
Q: Sam, would you agree that there’s renewed belief around Warrington this season?
SB: I’ve seen it since January – we started in November but the penny definitely dropped in January.
I’m not surprised by the result – there’s some great sides we have to beat.
We’re in the final, but just that isn’t good enough. We’ll be chasing it down. Wigan are winning everything so I guess it’s up to us to take it off them.
Q: George, how good is it playing with Matt Dufty at the moment?
GW: Really good – throughout his career he’s always scored tries that nobody else can, but it’s his effort areas this year. He doesn’t want to let the team down.
He’s good to watch and I love playing with him. As a team, we’re enjoying him making the one-on-ones, taking the high balls and putting his body in where it hurts.
Q: What do you think has changed in that regard in him?
GW: I’ll give Sam a big rap for that. He got him onside and believed in him.
He worked hard in the pre-season and its paying off.
Q: You seemed to attack Huddersfield’s right edge a lot – was that a plan beforehand?
GW: We’ve got a great attack coach in Martin Gleeson, and he encourages us to play what we see.
We can pick either side, but our left has been good in recent weeks and it worked for us today.
Q: Sam, how special is it going to be for you to lead a team out at Wembley?
SB: It’s not about me anymore. I’m a coach. It’s about the players as they’re the ones doing the work.
I’ll enjoy it but I’ll get more out of seeing the players enjoy it.
We’ve got a couple of players in there who haven’t been to finals, so it’s going to be a great occasion for them so I’ll get more enjoyment out of that.
At the end of the day, it’s not about me.
Q: And I guess a dream final for you, George?
GW: I still live in Wigan as well, so I’ll be getting plenty of chat around the town!
It’s something I’m looking forward to – Wigan are a great team and its where I’m from, but it’s another team we’re hoping to beat.
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