Pain of losing lingers for Graham

[Moe]

Pain of losing five consecutive grand finals lingers for Bulldogs import James Graham

AN NRL title may just end what James Graham describes as a "lifetime of affliction".

The Bulldogs' English forward still hurts when describing his five successive losses in Super League grand finals.

Graham won the 2006 grand final with St Helens before losing deciders in 2007 (v Leeds), 2008 (v Leeds), 2009 (v Leeds), 2010 (v Wigan) and 2011 (v Leeds).

He is now just 80 minutes from a seventh consecutive grand final, this time in the NRL.

"Unfortunately we couldn't quite get it right for five on the run," Graham said yesterday.

"That's been and gone now but it's something that will stay with me for a long time.

"It still lingers - it will be a lifetime of affliction for want of a better phrase. It was an achievement (six grand finals in a row) but I don't look at it like that.

"It isn't the best feeling in the world and not something I particularly enjoy talking about either.

"I was fortunate enough to play in the '06 side that won it - that was a special day. On the plus side, I was also fortunate enough to win three Challenge Cups for St Helens, which was great.

"I think about that more than losing the finals. But it will always be there to tell you the truth, no matter what happens."

Asked would an NRL premiership ease the pain, Graham said: "I'm not thinking too much about winning the comp at the moment. The sole focus is on this weekend's semi-final. I don't see the point of talking about grand finals when there's a game to be won."


http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...runner-up-career/story-e6frexnr-1226476859540

 

[Rodzilla]

graham knows this article is one week premature

 

[playon]

Gotta love this guy tough as nails. Have a sneaky suspicion he might break his duck this week and bag meat pie. Come on bupa smash that **** burgess & his brother

 

[mearsey]

Hope he uses all that pain and directs it towards a positive .

 

[Vlasnik]

Pain of losing five consecutive grand finals lingers for Bulldogs import James Grah

AN NRL title may just end what James Graham describes as a "lifetime of affliction".

The Bulldogs' English forward still hurts when describing his five successive losses in Super League grand finals.

Graham won the 2006 grand final with St Helens before losing deciders in 2007 (v Leeds), 2008 (v Leeds), 2009 (v Leeds), 2010 (v Wigan) and 2011 (v Leeds).

He is now just 80 minutes from a seventh consecutive grand final, this time in the NRL.

"Unfortunately we couldn't quite get it right for five on the run," Graham said yesterday.

"That's been and gone now but it's something that will stay with me for a long time.

"It still lingers - it will be a lifetime of affliction for want of a better phrase. It was an achievement (six grand finals in a row) but I don't look at it like that.

"It isn't the best feeling in the world and not something I particularly enjoy talking about either.

"I was fortunate enough to play in the '06 side that won it - that was a special day. On the plus side, I was also fortunate enough to win three Challenge Cups for St Helens, which was great.

"I think about that more than losing the finals. But it will always be there to tell you the truth, no matter what happens."

Asked would an NRL premiership ease the pain, Graham said: "I'm not thinking too much about winning the comp at the moment. The sole focus is on this weekend's semi-final. I don't see the point of talking about grand finals when there's a game to be won."

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...runner-up-career/story-e6frexnr-1226476859540

 

[OTTO]

Good to see he has his mind on the job (Wouldnt expect any less from him)

 

[billybob]

lol if we make it, i think graham can sit one out ;-)

 

[Bluebody]

These journos are always asking questions to get the players distracted away from where their focus is needed most - its great out players are not falling for it!

 

[Paint.]

tbh obviously I'd rather make the grand final and all, but you'd think that, emotionally, losing a GF has got to be the worst feeling in the world.
To have lost 5 in a row is beyond the worst feeling... Each year, your hopes rising then failing once again... I doubt any player/coach would consider merely making the GF to be enough, it's all about the big one, the last game.

If you look at the players from the teams that didn't make the 8 in rd 26, you wouldn't see many tears in their eyes.
On the other hand, after a GF loss, every player in the team is on the floor. Has got to be the biggest downer there is... Hopefully Jammer uses it to his advantage