Celebrating former Saints World Champion David Fairleigh

David Fairleigh may have only played one season at Knowsley Road - but what a year 2001 was for Ian Millward’s history-making Saints.

Signed from Newcastle Knights, after a ten-year career with North Sydney Bears, Fairleigh arrived with a distinguished record of 15 Australian caps and 10 appearances for New South Wales.

Fairleigh had been used to setting high standards - something that did not drop in intensity in England at the reigning Super League champions.

At 6ft 3 and 17st of muscle and bone, Fairleigh’s physical presence was key in helping face down Brisbane Broncos on a bruising, brutal debut on 26 January, 2001 when Saints triumphed 20-18 to be crowned World Club Champions for the first time.

Fairleigh’s square shoulders hit opposing ball carriers with real venom, and his running was direct, with purpose and aggression, setting down a standard for the Saints pack to follow.

And in conjunction with compatriot Peter Shiels, fellow front rowers Keiron Cunningham and Sonny Nickle, and leaders Chris Joynt and Paul Sculthorpe, Fairleigh led from the front when it came to tackling the heavyweight Bradford Bulls Awesome Foursome.

Saints triumphed 13-6 over the Bulls at a rain-lashed Twickenham to add the Challenge Cup to the World Club Challenge and Super League trophies in the cabinet.

Alas, that season that promised so much was unpicked by a series of injuries, crucially Sean Long but including Fairleigh.

And although the popular Aussie looked at signing for another year, the shoulder injury that he gamely patched up and played with in the latter part of the 2001 campaign got the better of him.

The defeat by Wigan in the Super League play-off semi-final would be his Saints finale.

A fine professional – and one for whom the term ‘one season Saints wonder’ puts him up there on the same pedestal as compatriot Mal Meninga.

All pictures by Bernard Platt