Anderson's new Saints

Anderson: New approach

I had a chat with the blokes when they first came back and said 'if we play at the same level and with the same style as we did in the play-offs in 2007, I don't know if we'd even get to the play-offs in 2008'.

Daniel Anderson
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St Helens coach Daniel Anderson may have kept faith with his squad for the new Super League season, but he has warned opponents to be ready for a fresh new approach from his existing players.

Last season's Grand Final runners-up have not been bringing in a multitude of new faces during the winter like some Super League side, but have instead been working on the physical aspects of their players.

Anderson says that making his players bigger, stronger and faster will help them regain the Super League title.

"You can change the size, speed or shape of players," he said.

"You can change technical components and you can work on different systems and structures.

"They will be subtle changes. Keiron Cunningham is still Keiron Cunningham - he's not going to come out and suddenly look like Sean Long when he starts playing.

"But it's silly to think that you can sit still and not improve as a player or as a coach.

"I think we've evolved and we hope we're a little bit more intelligent from last year.

"We have to evolve as a team because, if we play like we did last year, we'll get beaten this year. There are better teams and better players in the competition this year.

"I had a chat with the blokes when they first came back and said 'if we play at the same level and with the same style as we did in the play-offs in 2007, I don't know if we'd even get to the play-offs in 2008'.

"I think that's how strong the competition will be."

Challengers

Anderson expects defending champions Leeds to be the team to beat, but also says Warrington, Wigan and Bradford will be strong in a fiercely competitive Super League season.

The former New Zealand Test coach will leave Knowsley Road at the end of the season, and skipper Paul Sculthorpe has already said the players want to send him off with a Grand Final win.

Leeds Rhinos provided a fitting farewell for Tony Smith last October, but Anderson insists there will be no pressure for Saints to do the same.

"I think you'll find Tony Smith would say that the players didn't put anything extra in," insisted Anderson.

"I like to think we haven't shirked our roles as players or coaches since I got here. I think we've always put it in for every game. I can count on two or three fingers the times when I've not been happy with our effort or our attitude.

"The players don't owe me anything; the comp doesn't owe me anything. I owe them my best endeavours this year - and they will get that.

"We will as usual commit ourselves in every game and see what happens. We're all going to make a contribution as a group - because only teams win trophies."

Sculthorpe

Saints end their Super League preparations with Saturday's friendly against Wakefield, which doubles as Paul Sculthorpe's testimonial.

Sculthorpe could return from Achilles surgery in that game, but his more realistic target is the opening Super League game at Hull KR on February 9.

"We'll have another look at 'Scully' in the next couple of days," said Anderson. "He's training at a high level."