For many the 2020 season was memorable for all the wrong reasons. A stoppage of over four months was followed by a stuttering restart packed with postponements and fixture swaps before the regular season was abruptly curtailed. Yet if you are a Saints fan your memories of it will be rather more positive.
Few titles in the history of any sport can have been won in circumstances as dramatic, heart-stopping and downright miraculous as the moment when Jack Welsby beat Bevan French to the ball to touch down after Tommy Makinson’s last-gasp, long range drop-goal attempt clanged off the KCom Stadium upright on Grand Final night.
The image of Adrian Lam’s sullen, lost-a-tenner-and-found-a-penny kipper in the aftermath is etched on the memory of Saints fans, forced to sit and watch it unfold on TV. It’s probably a blessing that we were not there to see it in what outside of a pandemic would have been a packed Old Trafford. Had we been, we might very well have reached the point where any attempt to experience something more glorious and exciting would have been futile. There would arguably have been literally no point carrying on. Kind of how George felt in Blackadder Goes Forth when he met Squadron Commander Lord Flasheart in the trench and declared that he hoped he’d snuff it there and then to preserve the moment forever.
That unforgettable victory ensured a second consecutive Super League title for Saints. The coach had changed - Kristian Woolf coming in to replace Justin Holbrook - but after a bumpy start pre-pandemic the restart Saints were as consistent as ever. After losing to Warrington, Huddersfield and Castleford in the old world Woolf’s side embarked on a 13-game unbeaten run behind closed doors. Only Woolf’s pragmatic decision to select five debutants for a match with Salford and so rest his stars for the bigger games to come ultimately cost Saints a third consecutive League Leaders Shield. That honour went to Wigan after what at the time seemed a concerning 18-6 defeat in the final game before the playoffs began. Saints would make up for that in the grandest fashion.
If losing the league leadership was a mild disappointment it didn’t match the pain of being bumped out of the Challenge Cup by Warrington in the quarter-finals. That game turned when a suspiciously forward pass bounced fortuitously off the head of off-his-head ‘man of the people’ Anthony Gelling to allow Josh Charnley to score. Having seen Wire win the Challenge Cup against Saints at Wembley a year earlier there was some consolation when the Wolves were then dumped out by Salford in the last four.
The chances of topping the Grand Final denouement may be slim but a third title in a row remains a realistic aim. The main area of the squad which has seen dramatic change is in the second row, where long-time starting duo Zeb Taia and Dominique Peyroux have both moved on. Taia has retired after a stellar three year spell which saw him win the Grand Final and the League Leaders shield twice each. Peyroux has perhaps surprisingly been allowed to move to Toulouse in the Championship. Peyroux endured a rocky start to his Saints career under Keiron Cunningham but was one of the most consistent performers for two years under Holbrook. Yet last year saw James Bentley edge Peyroux out of a starting slot, paving the way for the latter’s exit.
If Bentley is to continue starting in the second row he’ll need to beat off competition from at least one of Saints new recruits. Joel Thompson arrives from Manly Sea Eagles after a storied NRL career that has seen him make 235 appearances during spells with Canberra Raiders, St George-Illawarra Dragons and the Sea Eagles. The 32 year-old Thompson played most of his rugby on the left edge for Manly in 2020 and could slot straight in to the position vacated by Taia. He is more conservative in style than Taia, not as fond of an offload, but should be a solid, dependable presence.
Joining him is a player who was once one of the most exciting prospects in world rugby. Sione Mata’utia became the youngest player to represent Australia at Test level in 2014 when he played on the wing against New Zealand in that year’s Four Nations at the age of 18. Since then he has spent most of his time playing in the second row for Newcastle Knights, where he has amassed 124 appearances and crossed for 31 tries. He is the brother of Castleford utility back Peter Mata’utia, though it would be fair to say that Sione’s approach to the game is a touch more physical and direct. If Mata’utia and Thompson both start in a new look second row it could push Bentley to the loose forward position which many feel could be his best. Yet when you have Morgan Knowles also knocking around - one of the most consistent and best defensive players anywhere in Super League - it becomes clear that someone extremely capable is going to miss out on a start. There should always be a high quality back row option on the Saints bench this year if everyone is fit.
James Graham was only ever a short-term solution to the loss of Luke Thompson midway through last season. Graham follows Taia into retirement, the response to which has been to add two new props to the squad. That need was highlighted even more by Jack Ashworth’s move to Huddersfield Giants. In come the wonderfully named former New Zealand Warrior Agnatius Paasi and the slightly more straight-forwardly monikered Dan Norman from London Broncos. Paasi was one of four New Zealand Warriors (along with new Leeds Rhinos recruit King Vuniyayawa) who opted out of playing during the pandemic when travel restrictions meant that the New Zealand side had to base themselves in Australia for the duration of the season. Despite that inactivity the 29 year-old does have 107 NRL appearances under his belt including a 54-game spell with Gold Coast Titans from 2015-17.
Norman is a much younger, arguably more raw talent. His 6ft 5 frame has sparked some possibly unfair and certainly premature comparisons with Alex Walmsley. Walmsley has been one of Super League’s best front rowers since arriving from Batley in 2013. He will continue to be a vital cog in the machine but if 23 year-old Norman can emulate half of what Walmsley has done in the game he will have been a success. He has some Super League experience from his time with Widnes Vikings but is possibly one for the future with Walmsley, Paasi, Matty Lees and Kyle Amor all competing for front row spots either side of legendary hooker James Roby.
The number nine role might be one area of concern going forward given Roby’s age and Woolf’s seeming reluctance to place much faith in Aaron Smith. Bentley has been an option there in the past and talk among fans of Theo Fages switching to dummy half to allow for Lewis Dodd’s emergence at halfback probably won’t go away. Josh Eaves will also hope to get the opportunity to build on the three appearances he has made so far in his Saints career, only one of which came last term.
The only change in the back line sees Matty Costello follow former assistant coach Richard Marshall to Salford Red Devils. This relative inactivity will upset those who like to see shiny new signings arrive in the skill positions but there is a fair argument that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. At fullback Lachlan Coote has been brilliant enough to turn Ben Barba into a wistful memory over the last two years while Tommy Makinson and Regan Grace hold down the wing roles. With Costello gone there may be a lack of depth at the wing position but his opportunities were going to be limited by the emergence of Welsby and Josh Simm. Either could fill in out wide while Welsby has also played for the first team at fullback and stand-off. Still only 20 by the time Saints kick-off against Salford on March 27, Welsby could be a mainstay of this Saints squad for as long as the testimonial-celebrating Makinson has been around. Given the way they combined in the Grand Final last year, both could never play for Saints again and still be assured of their place in the club’s folklore.
With so few additions expect Mark Percival and Kevin Naiqama to be the starting centre pair, with Welsby or Simm ready to step in if Percival is still bothered by the persistent injuries which have dogged him recently. It’s a big year for Percival. Still only 26, he should have his best rugby still ahead of him. Yet he will need his body to be more reliable if he is to slow the progression of Simm or Welsby.
Dodd is an intriguing prospect in the halves. The 19 year-old made three first team appearances last year - enough to convince many including this observer that he should be ready to put real pressure on Fages to keep his place alongside stand-off Jonny Lomax. The latter may be 30 now but like Roby shows no signs of ceasing to be one of the premier stars not just of the Saints team but of the whole competition. He can only help bring Dodd on to help give Woolf genuine options in midfield.
With Marshall taking up the opportunity to be the main man at the AJ Bell the other bit of housekeeping to report is that Paul Wellens is currently Woolf’s main assistant. Steeped in the club after a monumental 17-year playing career, Wellens has expectations on him from some quarters to develop into a successful head coach. His progress is one to watch - but there can’t be a Saints fan out there who isn’t entertaining thoughts of caution given the wretched experience of Cunningham after starting out in a similar role. Let’s be careful what we wish for without blindly assuming that Wellens would necessarily suffer the same fate. The pacing of Wellens’ development is something the club has to get right.
Though it isn’t viewed with the same enthusiasm since the advent of the Grand Final I begin every season as a Saints fan hoping for a good run at the League Leaders Shield. In a competition which demands you win a one-off game at the end to be crowned champions there are so many variables which could shatter your dreams. But cementing your place as the most consistent side over a 25-game schedule seems a more controllable aim. After that you’d back Saints to beat anyone while accepting that the cards could fall another way at Old Trafford. Or Hull, if need be. As Welsby will testify the bounce of the ball in Grand Finals can be decisive.
The bid for a third League Leaders Shield in four seasons starts with that meeting with Salford before Hull KR, Wakefield, Huddersfield and Leigh provide the rest of a very winnable first five. The Easter derby with Wigan will now take place in August in the hope that Covid restrictions have been sufficiently relaxed to allow fans to attend, while similar principles see all of Warrington, Leeds and Catalans on the schedule during the run in from Rounds 22-24.
The regular campaign ends how it starts - with Salford - before hopefully another playoff run and a chance to be the first club to win three in a row since Leeds Rhinos between 2007-09. I’m told Adrian Lam can’t wait to see it.
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