Wilkin says Saints deserve credit

New St Helens captain Jon Wilkin says it’s time they got the credit they deserved, ahead of next month’s World Club Series clash with South Sydney.

The Rabbitohs visit Langtree Park on Sunday February 22nd on a weekend that also sees Wigan and Warrington take on NRL opposition.

But only Saints have the chance to be crowned world champions having defeated their arch rivals Wigan at Old Trafford in October, in a game marred by the early sending off of Warriors prop Ben Flower.

Wilkin said: “We are worthy champions and it’s high time we got the credit we deserve.

“Some people have said ‘Well, Wigan were down to 12 men’ and that we limped our way into the final so this game is our moment to demonstrate what we’re all about.

“We are very confident in the squad we have, there have been a notable difference in attitude amongst the players since our Grand Final win. The confidence is immense, to back it up with a win against the Rabbitohs would give us further crucial experience in our development.

“Our game is going to be huge, particularly with the whole Burgess story at South Sydney: I can’t wait to get stuck into them. The prospect of challenging ourselves against the best players in the NRL is fantastic. The NRL is a great competition and we can learn a lot from it but Super League also has some great attributes and we need to put them on show.”