St Helens' Jon Wilkin talks Super League play-offs, youth development and Alan Partridge.
Never mind the pedestrianisation of Norwich city centre, St Helens star Jon Wilkin talks exclusively with skysports.com about the Super League play-offs and youth development
He may confess to an 'Alan Partridge fetish' on his
twitter profile, but John Wilkin has a more immediate focus as the St Helens No.12 and his team-mates prepare for Saturday's Super League play-off semi-final against Wigan Warriors.
Having already defeated their derby rivals in week one, Royce Simmons' Saints earned the luxury of last weekend off. But they are now ready for business and the club have their sights set firmly on a sixth successive Grand Final appearance.
Wilkin will celebrate his 10-year testimonial in 2012 and so he knows better than most about the underlying pain of the four back-to-back final defeats which acts as a driving in his club's search of silverware.
However, when
skysports.com spoke with the 27-year-old on a Gillette research day into the performance benefits of using modern kit at Liverpool's John Moores University, he was open-minded about the play-offs, Saints' focus on the next generation.... and all things Partridge and sandwich shops.
After the initial win over Wigan, Saints are 80 minutes away from another Grand Final. How are your emotions?
The game against Wigan was intense and such an emotionally-charged game. We are very pleased to have been on the right side of that result and were very thankful for the week off. But we are certainly not getting carried away. Wigan have proved themselves to be a great side. Warrington and Wigan finished one and two (in the league) because they have been the most consistent teams throughout the year. Our aim is to get that consistency in the final two games. The full focus is now on the next match and making sure we replicate the intensity that we showed against Wigan.
Obviously Saints have had a few disappointments in the Grand Final over the years. How much of a motivation does that provide?
It is a motivation, (but) we are very proud of our achievements to have got to that many consecutive Grand Finals. It does hurt when you look back and think about what could have been. If we could have just produced a 10-minute period of intensity or performance in probably three of those games, we could have won the game. It is disappointing. It takes a lot of emotional energy to get over it and to get motivated to start another season. I think it is probably credit to the attitude of our team that we keep picking ourselves up and going for it again.
You spoke about the attitude of the club. How do the characteristics of this current Saints squad compare to those you have played with in the past?
When I first started, we had players like Paul Newlove, Paul Sculthorpe, Sean Long, Keiron Cunningham. They were big, iconic names within the sport. We certainly had the marquee players in the competition and I think that, having the top players at the club, is something which has now become synonymous. The thing that has changed is that we have put a lot of emphasis on youth development.
What sort of an influence do you think the young players can have on British sport in general? Is it important to inspire the next generation?
I am a massive believer that what we should do as a sport is create the popular culture stars. I want the kids to maybe look at them and aspire to be like them. That is a challenge for the sport. It would be great to see the kids of St Helens and Wigan all looking up to the rugby league players. But let's get further afield than that and get kids from all over the country aspiring to be the athletes who show toughness, honesty and dedication. Sometimes that is hard to find in modern sport.
Is the emphasis on youth development an obvious strategy that has been continued by Royce Simmons? In what other areas has he made an impact?
Royce has come in and, to be fair, the youth system has been fantastic. I think we have been top for bringing young players through for the last four or five seasons now. Royce has inherited that system and certainly realised that is the strength of the club and rolled with it. What Royce brings is a lot of experience. He was a tough player and is a tough guy and he is trying to get that instilled in the younger players in the squad. I think that is probably the key thing Royce has brought, the mentality. Sometimes you have just got to roll your sleeves up and get a job done no matter what the conditions are like, no matter what the opposition are like. Whether you are favourites or not, go into a game and be prepared to play a tough battle.
It is your testimonial year in 2012. You must be immensely proud of that achievement?
I am massively proud to have been a part of a club like St Helens and such a successful part of their history, arguably the most successful era of the club. To be here for 10 seasons and for them to grant me a testimonial is obviously a massive honour for me. I am looking forward to celebrating with some events that a committee, formed on my behalf, have planned. There are going to be some great events that engage the corporate side of things as well as the local fans.
Looking back over the 10 years, how do you think you have changed and matured over the decade?
When I moved to St Helens, I was a boy. Ten years on and I am certainly a man. The sport has helped me so much and I am thankful every day for the lifestyle I have and the 10 years I have had in the sport that I love.
Apart from days like today, what else do you like to do in your spare time away from training or matches with Saints?
I am a closet foodie, so I suppose away from the game I am into my cooking. I am really passionate about food and eating good food. It is probably to my detriment in terms of nutrition! Trying to find great food that is healthy for you is something I am interested in. I have started blogging on my personal website (www.jonwilkin.co.uk) about some recipes and some healthy ideas.
On your website, you describe a terrible attempt in your teens to cook a Spaghetti Bolognese. How are your cooking skills coming along?
After that disaster, it was onwards and upwards from there! I think being dumped into St Helens when I was 18 and was told that I had to prepare nutrition to be a serious athlete. It was a massive challenge, so I had to become good at that because what you eat is so important to how your body feels, how you train and how you are able to recover from matches.
You have even branched into the catering industry with your own sandwich shop. How is business?
Yeah, it's great. 'Le Brunch' is in Culcheth, which is a small village in Warrington. It is a business interest for myself and my business partner. It is great. It's another focus away from rugby and I have found it refreshing to get involved in business. It has opened my eyes to the way the business world works.
It says on your twitter profile that you have an 'Alan Partridge fetish'. Any favourite episodes or quotes?
Haha, yeah, that's right. For me, all of his stuff is genius. I am a big Steve Coogan fan and I have no doubt been boring the guys here today with some of my Steve Coogan quotes.
Jon Wilkin and the England rugby team use the most up-to-date equipment on and off the pitch to achieve the best performance. The Fusion ProGlide is Gillette's most advanced razor giving their most comfortable ever shave. Visit www.facebook.com/GilletteUK for more information
