St. Helens RLFC - Does it light up your senses? (St. Helens)

Member Name: Jazzy09

Product:	St. Helens
Date:	21/06/09 (161 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great club for families and a great sport too

Disadvantages: Stadium is old but a new one is being built

Sport: Rugby League
County: Merseyside
Founded: 1873
Stadium name: Knowsley Road (now called GPW Recruitment Stadium)
Captain: Keiron Cunningham
Nickname: The Saints

~ Overview ~

It has to be said that St Helens RLFC are one of the most successful rugby league teams in the UK. They have won 12 championships, 12 Challenge Cups and 2 world club champion cups. The stadium holds up to 17,500 and tends to be filled when Wigan Warriors come to town as this game has a lot of tradition and rivalry as it is a local derby game.

The Saints are looking to build a new stadium in the near future to ensure that it remains one of the biggest and most successful clubs in rugby league history. The average attendance tends to be around 8,000 and tends to increase year on year as the game becomes more popular. It is a family game and unlike football rarely sees violence.

~ Why do I support the Saints? ~

I have been an avid Saints fan since the day I was born as I was brought up in St Helens and so I have supported my local team through good and tough times. I never used to go to watch games when I was young but do try to go to see games whenever I can.

The whole club is family orientated and well run most of the time. The atmosphere during gameplay can be electric especially for big games or cup finals it is the best feeling in the world when Saints win a cup and cheering on the boys. Another reason why I support this club is that the youth system is well maintained and lots of local talent get the chance to make it big.

~ Ticket Prices ~

Adult prices tend to be around £16 and OAP's do get in cheaper which is how it should be. Children's tickets are also cheaper and watching the Saints is a great way of spending time as a family and bonding with people you have never met.

~ Who is the current coach? ~

The current Saint's coach is Mick Potter who is from Australia. He was appointed from Catalan Dragons of France as he was very successful with them leading them to a Challenge cup final only to be defeated by the Saints which a great achievement considering that Catalan Dragons have only been going a few seasons in Super League.

He took over from Daniel Anderson who had been very successful with the St Helens Team and I thought he had done a very good job and did us proud. My impression of the new coach is that he is doing a good solid job at the moment as we are sitting top of the Super League and into the semi-finals of the challenge cup so I give him top marks so far.

~ Best ever game I have seen ~

The best game has to be the 'Wide to West 'game which was St Helens Versus Bradford Bulls which at the time both teams were good enough to win the Super League. I refer to 'Wide to West' as the Saints looked all but beat and had to keep the ball alive with no time remaining and had to score a try to win the game.

What happened was that the Saints team kept passing the ball around trying not to get tackled if they did they were out as Bradford were leading and the final whistle wont go until a player is tackled even though 80 minutes were up.

Sean Long passes the ball to Dwayne West then he makes a break on the wing and he passes inside to Chris Joynt and he runs with it as Anthony Sullivan shouts for the ball but there was no way he was going to pass as he raced over the line to score and give saints a victory which sent them to the final of Super League and went on to win another championship in the final as if it was meant to be.

It was that good people were hugging each other who didn't know each other and it was an all round fabulous end to a classic super league encounter.

~ The Home kit ~

The Saints have a traditional pattern design on their kit. They have a red vee on the shirt which is always a trademark of the Saints. The other parts of the kit like the shorts and socks always tend to be white with a few red markings.

~ Current Squad Members ~

Ade Gardner Matthew Gidley Francis Meli Leon Pryce Sean Long (Vice Captain) Jason Cayless Keiron Cunningham (Captain) James Graham Lee Gilmour Jon Wilkin Chris Flannery James Roby Bryn Hargreaves Tony Puletua Paul Clough Kyle Eastmond Chris Dean Gareth Frodsham Gary Wheeler Sean Magenniss Maurie Fa'asavalu Andrew Dixon Jamie Foster Andy Yates Jamie Ellis Matty Ashurst Tom Armstrong Jonny Lomax Jacob Emmitt
~ Favourite Players ~

It is sad to see so many greats in the team such as Sean Long and Keiron Cunningham but sadly these players are getting older now and will soon retire or leave the club. It is starting to happen with the recent news of Sean Long transferring to Hull RLFC as he wanted a longer contract but Saints could only him a one year deal.

My favourite player who would have to be Jamie Lyon who was a great player and didn't stay long but had a big impact on the Saints team when he was there. My current favourite player would have to be Leon Pryce as he had power, skill and is not a stranger to controversy.

~ Club & Player Records ~

Highest scoring game: 112-0 against Carlisle in 1986
Heaviest defeat: 78-6 against Warrington Wolves in 1909
Most tries in a season: Tom Van Vollenhoven in1958
Most Goals in a season: Kel Coslett in 1971
Most career appearances: Kel Coslett with 519 and 12 as a substitute. 1961 to 1976

Summary: This is a great family Rugby League club with great players and plays attractive rugby league!