It will be back to the drawing over the winter as St Albans Centurions ended their 2017 season with a 38-30 loss in the East Rugby League play-off semi-final.
It was still a very commendable effort against the unbeaten Stags, especially when you consider that St Albans only travelled with the basic 13 players due to holidays and work commitments.
Yet a Sam Allen hat-trick, with all three converted by Nick Woolley, put them into a 18-10 half-time lead.
But Hemel picked up the intensity in the second period and three tries of their own put them in front.
Mike Hollister and Jake Lawrence, and two more Wooley conversions, kept Saints within two points until they lost Peter Strain to an ankle injury.
That reduced them to 12 men and the Stags capitalised on the extra man to score a converted try in the corner and move into the League’s grand final against Bedford Tigers.
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