ONE of the positive side effects of Saints’ various injury crises over the last two terms has been the squad increasing its depth purely by youngsters earning their spurs in the heat of the battle.

The return to fitness of Jonny Lomax, new skipper Jon Wilkin and the imminent comeback of broken leg victim Luke Walsh presents Keiron Cunningham with a welcome selection headache.

And the new boss has made it quite clear that sentiment from those tumultuous times at the Theatre of Dreams will not be seeping into his selection policy.

Form will be the key word when Cunningham hands out the 17 playing jerseys – and having some of the young forwards push on will make selection interesting.

Cunningham said: “In Joe Greenwood and Andre Savelio we have seen in the pre-season trials how well they have been going.

“I have always been a big believer in if you are good enough you are old enough and if you can hold your own with some of the biggest sides in this competition then you deserve to be playing.

“If that means that you are playing in front of a seasoned international so be it. Whoever is playing the best rugby is going to get a shirt. Reputations don’t really mean anything.”

Saints have brought in only two players from outside this term, offloading a larger number and promoting from within.

Cunningham is planning his recruitment strategically for the years ahead.

“I am really happy where we are squad wise even though there’s room on the salary cap.

“But it is next season and the year after where and when we are looking to start strengthening.

“I don’t want to have a go at past coaches but since Daniel Anderson went I think our recruitment went through the floor and did us an injustice, if you ask me, by recruiting players we should not have done.

“It was not right for the club and it hurt the club and that is what put the club in the position where it was.

“Me and Nathan had to do a lot of hard things the past couple of years and move people, who didn’t want to move, on.

“That is down to past recruitment,” Cunningham said.