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Matthew Shaw

St Helens attain immortality as fourth straight win cements their greatness

It's difficult to fully appreciate moments like this, teams like this, when you're living in the moment. But in the annals of time there is no doubting it now, this St Helens side will go down as one of the greatest of all time.

On the biggest stage of them all, St Helens proved once again why they should, and why they will, be remembered as one of the most dominant and one of the most outstanding teams in the history of the game.

A fourth consecutive Grand Final victory is unprecedented in the Super League era. Only one other side, the dominant Wigan side of the late 80s and early 90s, has ever won four straight Championships since rugby league was formed in 1895.

Read more: Leeds Rhinos' Rhyse Martin sets new Super League record for consecutive goals

And yet, many still wish to discredit and dismiss the talent of this side. It's indicative of rugby league's vitriolic attitude and aggressive tribalism that Saints are rarely given the praise their excellence demands. Because, before you argue otherwise, they are one of the best times in the history of British rugby league and the facts prove it.

The best? There's a compelling argument that you can make. The game has evolved structurally, economically and tactically and on such a scale that it will never truly be able to compare the great sides of the sport's 127-year history.

But Saints stand out for several reasons. The indomitable Wigan side of the 80s and 90s dominated in a way that will never be replicated. But they did so as a full-time team in a largely part-time sport and at a time when there was no salary cap levelling the playing field.

Saints have accomplished what they have when the playing field was a lot more even, and yet their dominance is unmatched in the professional era. They won the league by a staggering 20 points in 2018, the largest margin in the sport's history. A year later they won it by 16 points, the second-largest margin.

They have won and defended the Grand Final, an accomplishment only achieved before during Leeds Rhinos' decade of dominance, and by St Helens' star-studded side of 1999 and 2000.

Over the last four years, they have won 123 of their 148 games at a win ratio of 83.1 per cent. No team comes anywhere close to that figure over a five-year period during the Super League era. Leeds' three-peat side ended their trophy-laden trilogy with a win percentage of 73.1 per cent, not a patch on what this Saints side has done.

They've won a Challenge Cup, they've won two League Leaders' Shields. They've done everything, they've won everything. The quality of this Saints side can be debated but their accomplishments cannot. Now, there are very few sides in the sport's history that can even be in the same conversation as them.

There is a wide belief among Super League supporters that the standard of the competition has diminished. The game has changed and perhaps not for the better. Players are judged on different attributes and different qualities, and they're not as easy on the eye as yesteryear. But supporters shouldn't get entertainment and quality mixed up. The game might not be as entertaining now as it was, but the standard has never really been higher. Physically, this Saints side, blessed with modern science and greater professionalism, are better than anything we've seen.

The scary thing? There's no sign of them slowing down either. ThougThoughht they must now carry on without their record-breaking head coach Kristian Woolf, the squad will largely remain intact. That's a scary reality for the rest. There's no doubting this is a great tea, but it also possesses great individuals. Jonny Lomax, Tommy Makinson and Alex Walmsley, to name but a few are comfortably among the greatest players of the Super League era. Their accomplishments say so. They could earn more yet.

Read next

How Matty Lees made Grand Final history after opening try

Grand Final team news as Leeds Rhinos and St Helens name injury doubts in side

Super League Grand Final live updates: St Helens and Leeds Rhinos battle it out to be crowned Grand Final kings

Leeds Rhinos' halfback headache poses Rohan Smith with grandest dilemma

St Helens' quest for immortality takes its most crucial stop at Old Trafford

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