WE’RE AT PEAK OF OUR POWERS
Saints set their sights on taking dominant year to new heights
ST HELENS V SALFORD 6PM
ST HELENS have already climbed one mountain in the last month – now Jonny Lomax wants them to conquer another.
Coach Justin Holbrook used the recent week off before their semi-final win over Wigan to take the team up Snowdon, the highest peak in Wales.
Lomax says it was new to him and several others but feels the change in scenery has helped the squad ahead of tonight’s Old Trafford showdown.
“Billinge Hill was the best I’d managed before that,” said Lomax. “I was a bit sceptical at first, I’m not going to lie, but I enjoyed it.
“Snowdon was a bit of a slog getting up there – it’s harder than you think. It was probably a bit of an undercover conditioner, some metres in legs with a different stimulus.
“It just cleared the mental load of the season. Sometimes that week off is more about the mental side of things than the physical one, having a bit of downtime to give you that buzz again going forwards.
“The experience of being with the lads was great, and the following day we went to Snowdonia Adventure and did some surfing.”
Saints had another blank weekend while Salford were eliminating Wigan.
But their training has since been more conventional as they look to end a dominant season with the main prize.
They are favourites but Lomax stressed the players are not buying into pundit Phil Clarke’s assessment that several of the Red Devils squad are Championship standard. Lomax said: “Even earlier in the year I think some things about them in the media just didn’t align with our feelings and thoughts towards them.
“They’re a quality side who are littered with NRL quality throughout. That is always going to make them a threat and they’ve got a litany of Grand Final winners.When you add in the class of Jackson Hastings this year, you’ve got a real quality side.”
ST HELENS: Coote, Makinson, Naiqama, Percival, Grace, Lomax, Fages, Walmsley, Roby (capt), Thompson, Taia, Peyroux, Knowles.
Replacements: McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Amor, Ashworth, Smith.
SALFORD: Evalds, Sio, Welham, Bibby, Inu, Lolohea, Hastings, Mossop (capt), Tomkins, Dudson, Griffin, Jones, McCarthy.
Replacements: Flanagan, Lussick, Walker, Burke.
Referee: C Kendall. TV: Sky Sports.