ANYBODY in doubt about some of the qualities that prompted Saints to pay £60,000 to bring stand-off Travis Burns to Langtree Park were given a reminder in the recent game at Hull KR.

Although Burns did not have his best game in the red vee – there was strong mitigation in the fact that he played more or less the full 80 minutes with a cheekbone cracked in three places after taking a shoulder to the face from Rovers prop James Green.

The injury put the pugnacious Aussie play-maker on the sidelines for an unspecified length of time, but Saints fans should be assured that those qualities of courage, fighting spirit and a shrewd passing and kicking game will be to the fore on his return.

Burns had a torrid night on his return to Craven Park, on and off the park, and his misery was complete when he missed the last-second conversion that would have given Saints a share of the spoils.

But in the games he played before that the 31-year-old former Manly, North Queensland and Penrith half back has already demonstrated his will-to-win.

Burns said: “I have always played with a competitive attitude. I don’t like losing to be honest – I never liked losing a game of marbles or dominoes as a kid, let alone football. That was just the way I was brought up.

“If you look here there are a lot of players at this club – Paul Wellens, James Roby and Jon Wilkin – who don’t accept losing either.

“Coaches Keiron Cunningham, Sean Long and Jamahl Lolesi were all great footballers in their day and losing does not come into their frame of mind.

“That attitude was one of my big reasons for coming here – I wanted to come here to win silverware and I think over the next three or four years St Helens will have a successful era.

“That is a chance for us, players here now, to write a bit of history of our own and I am really looking forward to it.”

Prior to his injury, Burns himself was somewhat harshly punished by the disciplinary for a high tackle on compatriot Justin Carney against Castleford.

Although he took his medicine, and served a one-game ban, he did scratch his head and suspected had he not had a list of previous as long as his arm that he would have not been punished with a suspension.

“You will see 20 tackles like that and I was dumfounded by that decision – but that is footy,” Burns said.

“Maybe a few years ago when I was a bit young, silly and a bit blasé about the way I played my football, then I could understand it.

“But I think I have matured a lot and improved as a footballer since I have been over here and am playing better football than I did I my NRL days.

“It is hard to shake off the perception of what people think of me. When you walk into Red Hall and they have a sheet as long as your arm with your previous suspensions on then it is going to be hard to walk away with no punishment.”

It is frustrating for Saints because Burns was one of the latest of a long line of players to join the casualty list - although there are now high hopes of a swift return.

He had been combining well with edge back rower Atelea Vea and centre Mark Percival – but both of those are also out injured, as is full back Jonny Lomax while Luke Walsh is yet to appear.

But Burns is convinced that when everyone slots back into place the team will prosper again – particularly down his attacking side of the pitch.

“The best is yet to come from me, once I get a few more games under my belt, “ he said.

“Outside me in the centres Mark Percival is going to be a very special player – he is going to be world class. And then we have Tommy Makinson on the wing. We have plenty of strike.”

Burns has been delighted with the home fans, saying that they can help the team grow a leg when the going is tough.

And overall he is nothing but complimentary about the Saints club from top to bottom.

“The club have been fantastic. It is the closest thing to an NRL club you can get – from the coaching staff, the training facilities and the stadium.

“I have felt so welcome here that it was such an easy transition for me.

“All I had to do was jump in my car and turn up – everything was here set up for me.

“It makes it easy because you don’t have to worry about anything off field, we just worry about playing football,” he said.