SO there was no fairytale send off for Jon Wilkin, no chance of seeing Ben Barba light up Old Trafford, no big stage for the side that lit up Super League for so long in 2018.
All of a sudden, with vanquished players face down in the turf, that opening night dazzling win over Castleford Tigers and the majesty of Good Friday is a distant memory.
It is over, with a late Tom Lineham try doing unto Saints what they have dished out to the Wolves so many times.
Bernard Platt captured all the drama, pain and the heartbreak.
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