SEAN Long will be given the brief to work on Saints’ defence under Keiron Cunningham’s new coaching set up.

And the legendary Saints scrum half, who returned to his spiritual home last week as assistant coach, has been instructed to challenge his boss.

Cunningham believes that friend and former teammate Long is exactly the sort of character who can identify areas and weaknesses that others may have missed – and that is why he has been brought on board as the champions set out to defend their title.

Cunningham said: “Sean is over the moon to be back – he has gone away and earned his stripes.

“When you are head coach you have to put people around you that makes a good environment and if you have any deficiencies they can help you out.

“Sean is a very smart coach and good guy as well, which makes it good working in the office together.”

Long was singled out years ago by former boss Daniel Anderson as having the intelligence to make it as a coach.

Both Long and Cunningham worked well together, with their telepathic understanding setting up many a big play during a trophy-laden era between the late nineties and into the noughties.

But Cunningham re-iterated that this appointment was no old pals act or favour for a friend – and believes the appointment can be mutually beneficial for both their coaching careers .

Cunningham said: “It comes down to having a good understanding of the game and we both understand rugby league very well and both love the sport and have a good concept of it.

“Sean may be my friend, but if I thought he did not have a good work ethic I would not have brought him back.

“But he is similar to me – we work long hours and love rugby league and want to get the best out of the team. It is a good fit and bring him back in to work with Jamahl Lolesi will be good for the team.

"Sean is a very smart guy who is good at what he did and that is why he got as high up in the game as a player.

"As a coach you want people to challenge you. If I feel something is right and he thinks it is wrong I know Sean is strong-willed and is the type of character who will voice his opinion to me – that is what I want.

"We understand the game and are teaching each other different things and I am educating Sean a little bit how to transfer his knowledge into the players.

"That is one of the biggest things I struggled with when I first came on board as a coach – that way of getting all the info you can see in a game and getting that understanding through to the team.

"That is what I am doing with Sean now."

Although the facilities at Langtree Park and Cowley are a world apart from the ones he left behind at Knowsley Road, Long has been more impressed by the group of players he has started coaching – particularly the young ones.

Cunningham continued: "He’s noticed a bit of a change from Knowsley Road and the little gym we used to have under the stand. He’s enjoying it – good facilities and staff and he is blown away by the players we have.

"He was in early last week for the squad’s fitness testing and couldn’t believe how fit the team is and how all the young kids were breaking all the scores.

"But that is what we do at Saints. It has taken Sean to go away and see other places to understand how good a club it is."

Lolesi will retain his role running the bench, with Long being Cunningham’s extra pair of eyes sat beside him in the stand on matchday.

"I don’t want to change things too much and Jamahl runs the bench for us very well – and had that side of things organised last year.

"I’ll probably keep that as it is for now and Sean will come upstairs with me.

"Id be a fool if I tried to change things that are not broken.

"Jobs wise Sean will predominantly work on the defence – but we will all have input on that.

"I want everyone to challenge each other – I don’t want people sat there like nodding dogs. I know how Jamahl works and he is a really good coach – likewise with Longy as a person, a player and a coach. He is challenging me already and that’s what I want," he said. Some depts.

" I will have more knowledge than him in some areas, but in others he will know more – that is the idea of getting a good coaching team around you," Cunningham said.