WITH injury comes opportunity and one of the young players taking his chance is Shaun Magennis.
Sidelined with knee problems for 18 months, he’s made 11 appearances for the Saints this term and is continuing to show some of the promise that marked him out as one to watch on the Academy set-up.
“You don’t wish injuries on your teammates, but they have been good for me as I have been getting game time,” he said. “I was in their shoes a few years back. Last year was pretty tough for me and now I’m in the first team, you get the bug and I just want to continue on playing there.
“It’s a good pack at the moment and when you look at the players around you – the likes of Roby, Graham and Perry, I am really lucky to be there. I am just trying to learn off them.
“When the likes of Warren Thompson and Scott Hale made their debuts, I tried to pass on a little bit of what it is like. That was a little strange considering I have only made 17 or so games.
“I am pleased with how it has been going, but I know I can get better and continue to improve. Sometimes I make mistakes and errors and I want to improve on that. I know I have to put in the work in training.
“Long term this spell will only benefit us. When we get back to a full strength squad, should we get any more injuries then those lads can just step back in and will have had a taste.”
He continues: “It was difficult being on the sidelines for 18 months. Sometimes you wonder if you will ever get better. You do your rehab programme and then go home. When you speak to Joey Hayes though and Keiron Cunningham and they encourage you then you just keep on going.”
Tickets for Friday’s game against Crusaders at the Stobart Stadium (8pm kick off) are still available. You can get yours from the Saints Superstore in St Helens Town Centre, by calling 01744 455 052 or by logging on to Saints Online Store.
