What Kristian Woolf said about the way Saints dismantled Hull FC

Here is what he had to say about the way the game unfolded.

MC: After that sort of start, you could not have imagine a game turning out like that?

KW: I thought Hull FC started with a real energy; they started well and started fast and it was a high-intensity start from both teams.

It looked like a game that was going to be a tough challenge and take 80 minutes to win.

We had a little bit of ill-discipline about us, pushing an offload or a pass on fifth play that we didn’t have to push and gave them a couple of penalties to let them out of their own end and that is where they found their early points.

I didn’t like that side of things, but I liked the energy that I started with and I could see we had a bit of intent about us.

What I really liked about our performance overall was that we were willing to get into that dogfight and stay in it, and once we did we started to slowly break them down. We broke them down with some really good footy.

The best period for us was just before half time when we played some good footy but had to work hard to find those points.

I loved the ball movement between our forwards, and the discipline that we did it with.

I thought we played some really good footy there.

MC: We saw another glimpse of what a class act Will Hopoate is - with his pass selction and way he finds time on the ball?

KW: Will is just a footy player.

You have to remember he’s had a terrible year with injury and barely been able to play in his favoured positions of right centre or full back – that has been our year and his year, but every time he has had an opportunity back there at full back he has shown his class.

He’s a class player and experienced player who knows how to get the job done and he does it with a touch of class. He showed that today.

MC: Were you surpised in the way Hull just crumpled after you got on top?

KW: I thought we played some good footy in the first half – when we had to work hard and play footy to find those points.

I was a little bit surprised with their lack of intensity straight after half time.

That is something for them to sort out, but what I liked about us was that we kept playing with a discipline and we moved the ball well.

We did it with a discipline and were not trying to find points every time. We did not push for things that could make the game ugly.

I thought we finished as well as we could finish there.

MC: It was very hot out there, but were those conditions good for football?

KW: It was nice and dry – I know it is hot – but it is always a good fast track here as well and a place our blokes like coming to for those reasons. When you can use the ball and our blokes really enjoyed it.

MC: Tommy Makinson again showed his value?

KW: He was great – kicking those goals from the sidelines and he got some really good practice in.

He’s been great for us since he has come back and is really big player for us.

People do underestimate the influence of wingers, but when you have got all the things that he does then it has a big influence on the team.

MC: Are you confident that you can get Will Hopoate, Jack Welsby and Jonny Lomax in the spine firing together for the business end?

KW: I am very confident in those guys –  and I would have loved to have had Lewis Dodd there as that would make us even stronger – but we have got strike there with James Roby, Jack and Jonny playing together and then Hoppa at the back.

He’s only played a couple of games together with them – but every time he does he chimes in seamlessly. Joey showed his class there today towards the end with his try as well.

I am really confident that we have all the strike we need.

MC: It’ll be hard keeping Louie quiet this week after his two tries?

KW: I am almost glad he didn’t get the third to be honest ! He was great today.

I thought both he and Iggy (Paasi) came off the bench at the end of that first half and just their power running, with Iggy standing in tackles, getting offloads away and us playing off the back of that.

They are close friends and complement each other and love playing together and both make a massive impact.

I love what Louie brought today – and those two tries today where he put himself on the ball shows he is an athlete for his age and he has still got that leg speed. But he has to make a real decision to get there and that is why he got that reward.

MC: Louie is not playing like a 36 year old?

KW: He doesn’t act like one either! But that is what we like about him – he brings a really fun side and for a bloke that has been in the game for so long, he loves his footy and enjoys his footy, enjoys being at training and being around the players – and that is infectious.

When he is playing with the sort of energy he brought today that is infectious for the group as well.

MC: Does Wigan losing at Wakefield alter what you are planning to do in the last four matches?

KW: No not at all. We have got to come off a really good win there and make sure we don’t fall in love with ourselves, get ourselves ready for a tough challenge against KR this week and that is all that matters for us this week.

If we go and get that right we can worry about what comes afterwards then. That is our most important thing; recovering well from a hot day, short turnaround and not getting a lot of onfield training.

And realising how hard we had to work in that first 30 minutes to put ourselves in such a strong position. And then going out to play at the same intensity with how we start the game next week.

What we are trying to prepare for is really big games at the end of the year. And how we go about the next few weeks is going to be really important for that.