Saint Smith in disbelief
Surprise St Helens star Matty Smith is looking to cap a surreal season with Engage Super League glory when his side take on Wigan Warriors at Old Trafford on Saturday October 2.
Smith was recalled to the Saints fold at the end of the regular season after spending the year on loan at Salford City Reds after he was seen as surplus to requirements at Knowsley Road, but the scrum-half made an immediate impact upon his return with a man of the match performance against Warrington in week one of the play-offs and he is now set to make an unexpected appearance in the Grand Final.
“I’m definitely looking forward to the game,” said Smith. “When I got the call off Mick Potter to come back into training I had to double check to make sure it was him.
“It was a bit surreal at the time but it was nice to come back into training. There’s only two people at the club who I didn’t know from being here before, so it was easy to slot back into the rhythm of things and it’s been good to be part of the play-offs and to be in a Grand Final is something I’m really looking forward too.”
St Helens have lost in each of the previous three Grand Finals, but with Keiron Cunningham playing in his last ever game for St Helens this weekend, the entire squad will be determined to put those defeats behind them and give Cunningham one last chance to raise the Super League trophy in success.
“We’ve got to forget about the last few finals, we’ll be looking to turn that around for Keiron because it’s his final game for the club,” said Smith. “I’ve grown up watching Keiron, he’s one of my heroes and to go out and play alongside him in his last game and in a Grand Final is massive and everyone is looking forward to it.
“He’s a legend but I’m looking forward to it personally too, it’s my last game for the club as well. If you’d told me a month ago before I came back that I’d be playing in a Grand Final I wouldn’t have believed you.
“I’m already shaking with nerves now though, but thankfully it’s all good nerves, I’m excited and looking forward to it. It’s hard when there’s 70,000 fans out there but I think you have to play the game and not the occasion and just concentrate on what you do every week, but for the Grand Final to be a Derby game as well is just amazing, I’m a local Saints lad and it’s great to be playing in such a big game at the end of my time here.”