Pain of yet another defeat is so hard to take for deflated Roby

It was a familiar tale of agony and woe for Saints at Old Trafford as they lost out to Leeds, their nemesis, for the fourth time in five years. Saints were also beaten by Wigan 12 months ago but this time it hurt all the more as they saw a great chance of victory slip through their grasp.

“I’m sick of talking about losing here now,” said Roby, who was in the St Helens team that beat Hull in the 2006 final but has been on the losing side ever since.

“Everybody is obviously confident every year. It’s just not happened on the pitch, we’re just falling short.

“Obviously it does hurt a lot. From a personal point of view this one hurts the most because I’ve contributed more than I have in previous years, playing full games, and I feel more part of the achievement.

“Obviously we’ve not achieved and it’s gone now but I’m proud of everyone involved, I’m proud of the achievement in us getting here, although it doesn’t count for much again.”

Saints trailed 8-2 at half-time but dominated the game on the resumption, forcing four goal-line drop-outs, and they seized control with two tries in a five-minute spell from Tom Makinson and Michael Shenton.

Jamie Foster took his goal tally to four with a couple of penalties to give his side an eight-point cushion but Roby felt it should have been bigger.

“We clawed our way back into the game,” he added. “Leeds got a couple of tries and full credit to them. They defended well to take that pressure early in the second half and responded and that’s what killed us.

“We were definitely in control but Leeds ran away with it again.”

Saints also suffered badly through injury, as captain Paul Wellens left the field with an Achilles problem and then England centre Shenton went off with an elbow injury.

Wellens said: “Both myself and Shenny leaving the field wasn’t ideal, more so Michael Shenton.

“I was struggling with my Achilles – I was on one leg – and probably benefited the team when I went off because I thought young Tom Makinson had a fantastic game. But losing Michael Shenton was huge blow, a real killer.”