“Not top four” – Former NRL player predicts where St Helens would finish in the NRL

One of the questions brought up by St Helens’ win in Australia over Penrith Panthers to claim the World Club Challenge, is where would the Saints finish in the NRL?

Many have taken a stab at answering that question and now former Brisbane Broncos player Denan Kemp has had his say on the Bloke in a Pub podcast.

He said: “Before the game I said it would be about a 12 to 16 point win, a controlled win that never really looked in doubt. I know St Helens are good, I even said they’d probably be a top eight side here.

“I always thought St Helens were a quality side but they surpassed my expectations, so much so that I can see that if they had access to our resources, the same salary cap, living in the NRL and all that kind of stuff then I think they could finish top six or top eight.

“Now some people are saying top four but I think you need to see more than one game to make that call. The difference between top four and top eight is the ability to consistently put in 8 or 9 out of 10 performances. St Helens were incredible.”

He said that he thinks the Saints would have beaten another NRL side more comprehensively:

“This is what we want, do we want it just to become a nothing game? It says one point but I think St Helens were quite dominant for most of the game.

“Because of the fact Penrith have such high standards they rarely drop below them, if this had been another team I think St Helens could have put a score on them. They probably would have won by 12 to 16 points.”