NEW Saints recruit Tristan Sailor speaks positively, with an enthusiasm and a willingness to learn that comes out when he talks.

We grabbed some time with him on Tuesday and we covered a wide range of subjects in long interview as he took a look at the Saints ground.

This is what he had to say about his role at Saints and how he sees his game developing here and how he can best contribute.

We have broken the rest of the interview down into Q&A chunks with part one here, with part 2 tomorrow. 

MC: Early days, but what are your first impressions of this place?

TS: I really like it. I think the UK in general was always somewhere I wanted to come to because I feel like part of me belongs here essentially, I guess in the lifestyles, character and soul of the city or country.

It's been awesome. I'm living in Manchester but driving into St Helens just gives you that feel of what the UK community and town feels like.

I think even to drive down James Roby Way and find that one of the main streets is named after a great of St Helens.

I'm really enjoying it and even the weather hasn't been as bad as everyone has warned me about. I know it's going to get worse, but I don't mind the cold and the rain.

MC: You've chosen an unconventional way to get here – a lot of lot of lot of the Aussie guys just fly over in mid-November and it hits you straight away. You have crept through Europe on the way.

TS: I have. That was something I really wanted to do and I feel like that's one of the major benefits of, I guess, getting to play and live in the UK with Europe on the doorstep.

We've never really been able to travel because we're always playing footy and then get a short break.

So I got a bit of travel in, which was awesome, but then I also just wanted to get acclimatised to the city and then coffee shop hop and just sort of get to know the place because I love going to coffee places, food places, music venues.

So I guess I am just getting a chance to do that before really ramping up in a pre season.

I am very much someone that needs a lot of restaurants and cafes and stuff around me, but one of my best mates, Adam Clune, plays for Huddersfield.

He's living in there so I stayed with him for a bit. He always said how much I'd like it.

So did Jai (Field) actually. He said it had my name written all over it so. I think a lot of boys do that so they have stuff to do, but then it's also not that far a drive.

I was living in the Gold Coast and driving to Brisbane, which is like an hour and 20 minutes.

So it's going be a shorter drive for me anyway. I'm really enjoying it just getting to see everything the area has to offer.

(Image: Mike Critchley)

MC: When do you officially start training and get to work at Saints?

TS: 14 November - so not long now. I've been running and it's very different with the cold air hitting the lungs over here.

It's been good to get here a bit earlier and I guess put in that prep before pre-season starts because you want to come in ready and raring to go. But I'm super excited to get in and look forward to meeting the boys.

MC: Are you running and training off your own bat or is it being directed by S&C Matty Daniels?

TS: I was definitely in my plan to be fit, but Matty sent some stuff through, which is really good to have that sort of structure and layout to gym sessions and conditioning running sessions.

At the moment I've just been repping the fitness test we have so my body becomes used to it, which we've done before and I am a fairly fit player.

But I find that it definitely sets up a really good base and Matty has been really helpful with that, as have the medical and physio staff already touching base, making sure I've got everything I need so I'm really excited for pre season now.

MC: Can I just check, when your dad Wendell was playing at Leeds Tykes, you will have been a young baby – but did you live over here with him then?

TS: I think I was three months old when I came.  Mum always said how we weren't over here for long, It did just line up. So there you go, pretty much born and bred here (he laughed).

MC: It is funny how rugby league paths cross sometimes because both your dad and Curtis Sironen’s dad played in the last ever Australia tour match against Saints in 1994. And here you both are.

TS: I didn't even know that. It was funny when I was speaking to Mike (Rush) and he said he coached an Under 18 St Helens Academy team that came over and I had completely forgotten about it.

But I was 16 but playing in under 18s and versed them so it was funny how it was sort of a full circle moment.

The only real only UK club I've versed and now I am going to play for the which is awesome.

MC: What prompted to leave the NRL and choose Saints?

TS: Ever since I started as a kid, I always wanted to come over here because I think Europe and the UK has a character and soul that sort of suits me off the field as well as on the field.

I think it's very different atmosphere here too. I love the fans and the community feel of it.

With Brisbane, you had a whole city behind you, but I feel like the 15,000 Saints fans would be just as loud as 40,000 Brisbane fans and that's no disrespect to Brisbane, it's just I feel like sports in general just have a much bigger meaning here in the UK.

So that was something that I've always wanted to do it eventually.

MC: And switching from the NRL to Super League at 26?

TS: I guess being at Broncos, I was obviously behind Walshy (Reece Walsh) and Ezra (Mam) and good people like that.

I was learning a lot, but there was a time where I wanted to just sort of try and solidify a spot for myself.

I knew that I was a bit stuck at Brisbane and to come over here would give me much more opportunity for growth because I'm always about sort of growing and I feel like putting myself in an environment like this will be a great way to do that, learn from a lot of people.

And I guess I felt like it was a good time to make this move - as I said, I've always wanted to do it.

But I'm also someone that I can see myself living in the UK forever because I think it is a place that definitely suits me as a person, so that's why I thought if I can come over here now and then play for the next six or seven years and get citizenship then I would very much look at staying here forever.

We have got a great crew here.

When I heard St Helens was interested in me I was pleased because I'd obviously heard a lot about them from Jammer (James Graham) coming through at Dragons, and then Briersy was at Broncos as well.

Briersy obviously grew up on Knowsley Road and he did say he thought my game would suit the game over here.

In tomorrow's Part 2 Sailor discusses his position, 1 or 6, his playing style and his ambitions at St Helens.