Tomkins to use Wembley loss as motivation

Wigan have little time to mull over their 18-14 Challenge Cup Final loss to Hull FC.

They travel to St Helens this Friday knowing defeat would see their top-four hopes recede.

Wigan and Saints are locked on points, a point behind fourth-placed Wakefield, with four rounds to go.

And Tomkins hopes Saints feel a backlash from their Wembley agony.

“We’ve got to remember the feeling in that dressing room,” he said, moments 
after full-time on Saturday afternoon.

“It’s not a good place to be. It’s horrible, I feel sick.

“We’ve got to remember that, we don’t want to feel that again, so we’ve got to go and bounce back and smash Saints on Friday and win the next four.

“We’ve got to do that - otherwise our season is over with, we can all go on holiday and be depressed for six weeks.

“We’ll kick stones for a couple of days, but come Monday we’re back in work.

“Win four games, we’ve got a semi. Win that and we’ve got a Grand Final.”

Tomkins says it was no comfort that they played their part in an absorbing Challenge Cup Final, which went right down to the wire. Joe Burgess had a match-levelling try in the final minute ruled out, correctly, for a forward pass.

“They’re fine margins, that’s why we have a brilliant game called rugby league,” added Tomkins.

“That’s what people want to see, tight games which can go either way and that was one.

“Unfortunately we were on the losing side.”