SEVEN weeks ago Saints were not given a snowball in hell's chance of making any sort of progress in the Super League play offs.

The message from pundits and even many of the club's own fans was that topping the table was as good as it was going to get for the remaining men wearing the red vee in 2014.

But tonight the transformation from no hopers to title contenders was complete when Brown's battlers made it through to Old Trafford for the club's tenth Grand Final.

Saints, written off after losing Luke Walsh, Jon Wilkin and Jonny Lomax to injury, will still start as underdogs when they face the winner of Friday's clash between runners up Wigan and fifth-placed Warrington at the Theatre of Dreams.

But the fact that they march there with fire in their bellies, belief in the hearts and no little talent left in the roster gives them more than a puncher's chance.

Saints produced a great 17-man effort, with Luke Thompson once again proving that if you are good enough you are old enough.

Against a Dragons side that had bounced into the semi final after eliminating Yorkshire's pride in Leeds and Huudersfield, Saints had a job on their hands.

A cursory look down the teamsheet revealed a Dragons squad packed with talent - marshalled by a pair of bona fide half backs - and they immediately set to work in trying to move Saints' big men around and try to engineer the gap.

A jittery opening quarter, which included a missed Mark Percival penalty, eventually gave way to the Frenchmen grabbing the first points when the referee missed what appeared to be a flicked forward pass to Morgan Escare.

Thomas Bosc tagged on the extras, but Saints, with the crowd fired up by a sense of injustice, roared back.

Jordan Turner, again operating as one of the side's string pullers from loose forward, took the bull by the horns when he powered over with the momentum just getting him to the whitewash.

Percival's goal levelled and Saints were slowly beginning to get the upper hand.

They pulled off the old late 80s Wigan trick of hitting the opposition of the bell.

But what a try it was with Adam Swift showing what he can bring to the party when his confidence is up.

The former Blackbrook wing slipped three tacklers before making a beeline to the corner, the video ref ruling that his feet were not in touch as he took out the flag.

Saints' tails were up going in and they knew the next score would be the killer.

As it was, they got a fortuitous call to cancel out the Dragons first half score when Willie Manu started and finished a move, even if his pass to unleash Tommy Makinson appeared to have been tipped forward.

Percival's penalty, followed by a popular score from man mountain Mose Masoe ensured Saints were on their way to a tenth Super League Grand Final.

There was still more to come,with a finely taken try from Percival, showing a fine shake ofthehips and dash to the line.

With their final place secure, the closing moments probably provided a few anxious moments as the big hits went in and a degree of niggle reared its head.

Michael Oldfield dashed down the flank for the visitors, but it was a mere consolation - the new breed of Saints were heading to Old Trafford and the Langtree Park faithful lapped it up.