SAINTS half back Lance Hohaia will join the select band of players who have appeared in Grand Finals on both sides of the world when he runs out at Old Trafford on Saturday.

A loser with the NZ Warriors in 2002 and 2011 before leaving for Saints, the New Zealand World Cup winner is looking forward to fulfilling one of the main reasons he came to England.

And a lot will be hanging on the experienced Kiwi, who along with Jordan Turner and Mark Flanagan, will pull the strings in the half back roles vacated by Luke Walsh – but it is one he has relished so far.

He has remained upbeat, professional and optimistic, despite some tough spells in his three years at Langtree Park – but in adversity we have seen the quietly spoken New Zealander come into his own.

Hohaia said: “It is perfectly natural for negative thoughts to creep into your mind when you lose the key players who we rely on a lot.

“But it is a little bit like death – you have that mourning period and then you get over it and move forward best you can.

“We still have a great squad and that last three to four weeks we have had two or three guys playing really well over a series of weekends so that has really helped.

“Jordan Turner and James Roby have stepped up and have been excellent and our forward pack has been dominating the opposition and long may that continue.”

When Nathan Brown remodelled the team following the defeat at Hull, the unflappable Hohaia’s steady hand at the tiller has been an essential part of the new midfield brains trust.

And in tandem with that it has allowed Jordan Turner to grow into his new role, flitting between the halves and loose forward.

But Hohaia, who for spells in his time here seemed unable to nail to spot he had come to play, has lapped it up.

“Throughout the year Luke Walsh has helped my game, but since he has not been here I have had to take more responsibility, which I enjoy.

“I am sure Jordy and Robes feel the same and we have been working well together along with Wello’s leadership,” he said.

Hohaia joined the rest of the squad for the familiarisation exercise on Monday – but not before the squad had trained.

He explained that there was plenty of lads buzzing at the start of the week, and that is where experience comes in.

“There were a few excited bodies that we have had to keep in check – it is just a case of saving that energy for the right moment.

“There is nothing wrong with seeing them excited because that works on me too. These things don’t come along too often and it’s a good feeling.

“We are well aware of how noisy Old Trafford is going to be– it’s about soaking up that atmosphere and then focusing on our job and not what is going on outside that.

“What is at stake at the end of the match – the Super League title is why we get out of bed and put our bodies through misery sometimes,” he said.