AFTER having the back end of his 2023 wrecked by a nasty knee injury, Saints prop Alex Walmsley has tackled pre-season with extra determination.
The 33-year-old international front rower needed surgery on an MCL injury arising from last July’s infamous Challenge Cup semi-final defeat which also left Agnatius Paasi requiring surgery and a prolonged lay-off.
The initial prognosis was that Walmsley’s was a season-ending injury, but exactly two months after the injury the prop jumped through hoops to try and get fit for the play-offs.
Walmsley featured off the bench in the final Super League game of the regular season and the play-off games against Warrington and Catalans, but that was a massive ask after missing so many games approaching the business end.
Saints boss Paul Wellens says the prop has been outstanding in the pre-season – and determined to hit the ground running.
Wellens said: “We had optional drop-in sessions before coming back in and Alex was turning up to all of those.
“There was a real hunger and determination to put himself in the best position physically to have a big start to the year.
“When Al is in that mood it is obviously great for us all at St Helens because he has shown so many times that he can be unstoppable at times.
“It is great to see him with a real determination to come back into training and work so hard to be able to start the season strongly and he's going to continue to do that.
“Al is like a lot of the strong leaders within our group and so influential to us.
“And we are looking forward to seeing him out there this year.”
A fully-fit Walmsley will be a huge asset to Saints, who will start the year without long-term casualty Paasi.
Front row wise it is likely mean that Saints start with Walmsley and Matty Lees, with George Delaney and Sione Mata’utia off the bench.
Although not a heavyweight Jake Wingfield has played plenty of middle under both Kristian Woolf and Wellens.
Morgan Knowles has also featured at prop when James Bell has started or come on at loose forward – a position that he has also played with England.
Among the younger members of the Saints squad, the progress of Delaney has shown to the likes of McKenzie Buckley and the newly-elevated Noah Stephens that there is a pathway to the first team if the right things are done to earn that opportunity.
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