For the game to go against us on a fraction that is out of our control is almost unbearable - Cullen
10:59am Sunday 11th May 2008
WOLVES head coach Paul Cullen said he was left devastated by the cup defeat to St Helens and added that another team will have to pay.
"We attempted to control everything in our power," he said.
"There's very little we could do with the injury situation that got thrown at us pre-game and during the game, and there was absolutely nothing we could do to control the performance or the competence of the officials.
"We can only really work on what's within our power.
"We were in there until the very last second.
"I'm absolutely devastated we didn't win the match.
"We have gone full length, we've gone full width and we've gone over the full 80 minutes and for the game to go against us on a fraction that is out of our control is almost unbearable.
"It was a big game atmosphere and a big game mentality and I thought we brought that with us.
"You do get rocked when you're faced with difficulties out of your control.
"We arrived at the ground and Martin Gleeson goes on a drip in the dressing room, hit with a virus overnight.
"The medics did as much as they possibly could to get him into the warm-up.
"But we lost him during the warm-up. He lost all sense of direction, was disorientated, and the medics were concerned about him.
"So Paul Johnson made a very late switch and Chris Riley, who was only a travelling 18th man, presented himself and played as well as he possibly could under very difficult circumstances until he twisted his ankle and did his ligaments.
"We lost Stuart Reardon with a ruptured Achilles' and Paul Johnson with knee ligaments.
"We took a few punches but that should not detract from the effort, the quality and the skill that was exhibited.
"I'm very proud of the way that we prepared for the game and I've got nothing but admiration about the way the players went about their business.
"We opened up and scored some very good points.
"There aren't many weak links in the St Helens defensive set up but we created an awful lot."
And where do the injuries leave Wolves for the Super League game against Wigan on Friday?
"We're not quite sure as yet," said Cullen.
"We're a little bit battered in the dressing room physically as well as mentally.
"But the bottom line is someone's got to pay for that."