Hohaia praises Saints turn around

New Zealander Lance Hohaia wants his side to continue their rich vein of form in their push to make the Grand Final.

St Helens, who were runners up last year, had a mediocre start this season which resulted in the sacking of Head Coach Royce Simmons and Assistant Coach Kieron Purtell. 

Since then, Youth Coach Mike Rush has taken the reins of the club with Kieron Cunningham as his second in command with the Saints announcing that Nathan Brown would take over as Head Coach for 2013. 

On the pitch, fortunes have drastically improved, seeing them rise to fourth in the table, eight points behind table toppers Wigan. 

Hohaia pinpointed key areas which have resulted in this climb up the league.

He said: “There has been a change of attitude recently and the coach’s have been a lot harder on us. At the end of the day, Rugby League is all about attitude.

“Since Royce’s departure, everyone has taken it on board that they need to pull their weight and really work hard. Everyone has collectively pulled their finger to get us where we are now.”

The stand-off also identified a number of players who he thinks have lead the Saints resurgence.

He added: “James Roby has stood out for me. He is just has a really good athlete and plays 80 minutes a week in a tough position.

“The likes of Tony Puletua and Sia Soliola cause damage in attack and defence each week.” 

In their last five league games, Mike Rush’s side have picked up seven points out of a possible 10 with only one defeat, that being to Wigan on the Magic Weekend at the end of May.