MARK Flanagan says preparation and planning was the reason Saints beat Salford City Reds on Friday.
The former Wests Tigers and Wigan Warriors star came off the bench and played a key part in the 32-10 victory.
“It was a good win in poor conditions,” he said. “They started the first half really well, completed 100 per cent of their sets and hardly made any mistakes.
“We dropped the ball and didn’t play to our best and that meant at half time they deserved their lead.
“But in the second half, we played to how we’d trained all week. We did what we planned to do and scored some good tries. It wasn’t an easy task to do with the wind and the conditions, but we did and in the end it was quite convincing.
“I was pretty pleased with how I played but the most important thing to me was how the team played and won. We need to do that again this Friday.”
Flanagan, 24, didn’t feature the last time Saints took on Hull KR but admits the side got lucky in securing a last minute draw.
“They made a good start to the season and have some quality players,” he added. “I spoke to the lads after our game over there and they said we were a little fortunate to get a draw. Of course, we will have that in mind and will be preparing well this week.
“Ben Galea is someone we need to look out for – he impresses me – and Michael Dobson pulls the strings and moves them around the park. They have class in the centres too.
“They are towards the top end of the table now and you don’t get there without playing some good rugby. It will be a great match.”
Tickets for the game that kicks off at 8pm on Friday June 29 are still on sale. You can buy from the Ticket Office at Langtree Park, by calling 01744 455 052 or by logging on here.
