ST HELENS hero Jon Wilkin insists the Carnegie Challenge Cup holders will guard against the threat of complacency in the wake of their impressive fourth-round victory over Leeds.
Saints made a confident start to their defence of the trophy and will go into this afternoon’s fifth-round draw as odds-on favourites to make it four wins in a row at Wembley on August 29.
The exit on Sunday of former winners Hull and Bradford sent Saints’ odds tumbling and Mick Potter’s men will be the team to avoid in the draw.
However, Wilkin warned: “We’ve got no divine right to get to Wembley and win. It all started on Sunday and all we’ve done is get into the next round.
“The key to us being a good cup side is that we don’t get ahead of ourselves. We don’t assume that we’re going to get to the final. We’re never that cocky.
“We’ll be respectful of whoever we get in the next round and prepare thoroughly for it.”
The sentiments of Wilkin, man-of-the-match in Saints’ 22-18 win at Headingley, were echoed by his team-mates James Graham and Paul Wellens.
Graham said: “We’re not getting our suits measured just yet. It’s going to be a long, drawn-out affair. There are still a lot of good sides left in the competition.
“It’s a great occasion getting to Wembley but we’ll see who we get next and take it round by round.”
Wellens said: “I can imagine why a lot of people might have said the winner of this tie would go on to win the cup but we’re looking no further than the next round. We’d naturally prefer a home draw but we’ll take the cards we’re dealt and just get on with it.
“We’ve got a really good work ethic which has been going on right through pre-season.
“We’re starting to build a bit of form and get some continuity into our game and, if we can keep building on that, we can keep eking out performances.”
“We know from experience what is needed to win it.
“There are no easy games and we’re expecting another tough challenge from the draw.”
Although St Helens have lost to Leeds in each of the last two Grand Finals, they are unbeaten in the Challenge Cup since the 2005 semi-finals and Wellens admits the knockout competition brings out the best in his side.
“We’ve got a good mentality when we realise there is no second chance,” he said.
“We invariably perform well in big games like this.
“Although Leeds never gave up and kept coming back at us, we just had that little bit more in the tank at the end.”
Meanwhile, Sunday’s Cup victory may force Wellens to delay surgery on a long-standing knee injury.
The England full-back missed his club’s last engage Super League match at Wakefield Trinity Wildcats in order to rest the knee but he is expected to line up against Wigan on Thursday.
“It feels great now,” he said. “When you’re playing on adrenalin, it’s something that goes out of the window.”
Saints will be without prop Jason Cayless for the derby at the JJB Stadium after he aggravated a shoulder injury in Sunday’s cup tie triumph.
