SAINTS boss Keiron Cunningham reflected on issues after the Catalans game and looking forward to Leeds, in conversation with the Star’s Mike Critchley.

MC: You were pretty scathing post match, is that still your view after viewing the tape?

KC: I get quite emotional and a lot of it as around what I feel about the club and knowing where we should be. In hindsight I probably should not have been as harsh on people, but I care about the club and the spectators and know where we should be heading.

I do also have to bear in mind who is playing and who is not, and have three kids running around in the team. It is tough backing up after Warrington against a really good Catalans side.

We still had opportunities but we have to bring that consistency back to make us the great side that we were.

MC: Did a look down the backlines comparing the respective 1-5s show a bit of a mismatch?

KC: I am glass half full person, even in games when we have played a load of kids, I expect to win. That is my mentality. But that great performance against Warrington makes you wonder what it took out of the team after the Easter weekend. It proved that we were a little flat.

Hull were able to bring fresh bodies in to beat us and then Catalans can throw in fresh men like Horo and Carney and that puts you on the back foot.

If we can start filtering players back in it could bring us that bit of sparkle back to back up what our middles have been doing.

MC: So you are confident these are things that can be remedied?

KC: Of course - we are four points off the top. There is along way to go in the season and if we can keep in touch with the front runners for the time being, building on those performances and getting key people back in and playing together then we will be a good side.

We have the basis of a good squad, but we have to get it in a mixing bowl and let it do something together for a long period.

Our halves pairing in Theo and Walshy is going well, and if we can get Jonny back into that mix and get Robes and Wilko playing well then we won’t go far short.

As good as some of those juniors have been, there is no Mark Percival out there and he can win games on his own. If you can get him and Jonny in there, who is also a match-winner, it definitely helps your backline.

MC: Do you have to manage the numbers of players coming back in at the same time?

KC: When it comes to outside backs, and we have got plenty of those on the sidelines, they can go in and let them play and they will be fine in some respects. Jonny is different because he has got to be managed because he has not played for 14 months. But the rest of them we will roll them in with the rest of the squad.

MC: Percy will be a big addition to that attack.

KC: We have seen what he can do - especially at the back end of last year. If we get Percy fit again and get him going good that is definitely going to help the team.

Tils is also ahead of schedule but we have to get the specialist clearance before we go ahead with that. If we get Tils through training then we will have a good idea where he is at.

MC: Has Luke Thompson recovered from his head injury yet?

KC: I am not sure, he is still reporting signs of his concussion so we have to have a look at that properly and get specialists to look at what is going on. The judiciary saw nothing wrong with the tackle (in the Warrington game), but I have a kid sat out for two games as a result.

MC: Leeds will come into the game with some confidence after beating Hull FC last week.

KC: They have been that close in the last few weeks. It was like us in the Hull game when we fought for our lives and nearly got the points.

Leeds have been that one score away for long periods and should have won the Salford game, but have not been far off.

MC: Teams that have been top dogs for so long cannot come to terms with the idea of this league being turned upside down in some ways.

KC: There is a big fight on for the top four and the top eight. It is is hard and nobody is worse than myself for that and I feel the pain as much as the fans.

The fans are frustrated because they expect to win every game. I expect to win too. We are working hard, and if you string two or three games together you climb the table quite rapidly.

The comp is upside down. This is the future of the game and everyone is strengthening and in for the same players, with the same amount of money to spend.

MC: Cup draw on Thursday morning. How important is the Challenge Cup to this club?

MC: I actually prefer the Challenge Cup to the Grand Final, it means so much. I was brought up with the Challenge Cup being the number one comp, heading to Wembley and the homecoming.

Having such a history with our victories, and being in a few myself, it holds a special place. We will be doing our best whoever we play against.