Star Sport
A big homecoming year for the Saints
12:00pm Tuesday 7th February 2012
SUPPORTERS of a superstitious nature may take heart from the last time Saints kicked off their league campaign in London.
That was back in 2006, when the awesome foursome in a rotated front row laid the platform for Sean Long to pull the strings – with the magic of Jamie Lyon conjuring up that little extra special in what was a tumultuous year.
It is a sign of the transition that has occurred at Saints that only five members of that grand slam winning team will be in the class of 2012.
Saints have patiently rebuilt and remoulded the squad, largely by promoting the youth in the intervening years – reaching Old Trafford each year but coming up short at the final hurdle.
Last year’s fifth consecutive defeat at the Theatre of Nightmares was possible the most heart-breaking of the lot – with the Super League title looking to be on its way until injuries to Paul Wellens and Michael Shenton struck.
But what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger – and Saints have picked their chins up off the floor each year that demonstrate that they show no sign of being permanently scarred by defeat nor show a fear of failure.
This is a big season for Saints; their homecoming year after a season exiled in Widnes and their first in their new 18,000-capacity Langtree Park home.
There is also the increasing pressure that comes with going a third year without silverware – short by most club’s reckoning, but Saints are not like most clubs as their history testifies.
Last year the team drew strength from the adversity of playing all the games away from town last season.
True, the morgue-like Stobart Stadium atmosphere which had many a fan pining for the Knowsley Road Popular Side, was a hindrance at first but that soon fell behind contract sagas and injuries in the list of concerns.
This year may be the year that Saints finally overcome the injury-curse that has done more to wreck their trophy aspirations in the past three years than any other factor. Injuries are in the lap of the gods.
On the other hand Saints have moved swiftly to avoid a repetition of the Eastmond saga and other protracted wrangles with Jonny Lomax, Jon Wilkin and Jamie Foster already tied up on longer deals.
That in itself will bring a degree of stability that was not there after the boat was rocked by Eastmond’s high profile departure to Bath rugby union, with senior players Leon Pryce and James Graham also announcing their departures during the year.
Although Saints go into 2012 with some new personnel and without the significant presence of former skipper Graham, they will get plenty of stability from this being head coach Royce Simmons and Kieron Purtill’s second year together.
The players know what the coach expects of them - and he knows the players capabilities, even the younger ones who were tested in combat earlier than expected last term.
Graham’s departure to the NRL outfit Canterbury Bulldogs left a significant hole – but the club will be hoping that has been filled partly by the capture of Anthony Laffranchi who has travelled in the opposite direction. But the mantle of filling Graham’s boots will fall collectively on the shoulders of the front row with Tony Puletua, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Josh Perry all needing to make the hard yards.
Laffranchi will come under scrutiny – he is a player with bags of top level experience but has already vowed to play the game his way, not the way of the club’s former skipper.
After a write-off of a season last year Saints need a good year from Perry. Mobility is all well and good, but Saints’ front row needs the big man to make his years of experience in the tough world of the NRL and Test arena tell in the red vee. Perry has to be the man to provide that bit of size, dog and devil to the pack.
The reduction in the number of interchanges may suit Saints’ mobile pack.
In one sense they are already ahead of the game there at dummy half with James Roby turning the job back into an 80-minute position after the hooking job became a job share role for much of the Noughties.
In the halves, it was a big call to break up the Lee Gaskell and Jonny Lomax combination by bringing over Kiwi Test player Lance Hohaia – especially as he has been playing full back for several years at club and country.
But the experienced New Zealand World Cup winner will provide that steady hand at the tiller and cool, calm head in the middle when the bullets are flying.
He also is young enough to still have a hunger to win things and do well, and is excited by playing in the halves again.
Hohaia’s versatility also means that he can jump to full back and hooker should Saints need to shuffle things.
Saints will also benefit from having Mark Flanagan on board, a young English player with two years of NRL experience under his belt.
It does make the back row a crowded position – with the inspirational Jon Wilkin having one spot secured and Sia Soliola adding plenty of fire, vim and vigour in the other spot.
With the loose forward spot, depending on the opposition, going to a third big man like Puletua, Paul Clough or Laffranchi it will leave Andrew Dixon, Chris Flannery and Flanagan hammering on the door.