NEW Saints signing Travis Burns may have been heralded as the club’s first out-and-out stand off since Tommy Martyn, but the 30-year-old Australian does not expect to walk into the team.

The club paid a transfer fee to entice the creative stand off to cross the Pennines from Hull KR, but Burns still expects to have to fight his way into the champion team.

And that’s exactly how he likes it – with the pugnacious former Penrith Panther looking forward to earning his place alongside friend and former NRL teammate Luke Walsh.

Burns said: “It is hard for me to say what I am going to bring to the table – people will judge that themselves when I play.

“I am not coming to the club with any promises to play anywhere and that is the way it should be – I have got to work well and play well to earn and keep my spot in the team.

“You see what the team did last year – winning the competition without any recognised halves – so the guys that stepped up there went well.

“I have been given no promises and that is the way that I like it.

“Nobody should just walk into a team.”

When Saints first expressed an interest in signing Burns, Nathan Brown was still head coach – but Keiron Cunningham was quick to endorse the club’s bid to snare the stand off that combines toughness with an uncanny ability to unlock tight defences.

Burns has been enjoying a tough pre-season to get him up to speed with the demands of a champion team, but the latest addition to the coaching staff has given the squad a bit of a fillip.

“Sean Long has been a tremendous addition to the coaching staff, complementing the work of Jamahl Lolesi and a legend like Keiron Cunningham.

“Back home I used to watch Keiron and Sean play for Great Britain in test matches against Australia and now I am privileged to be getting coached by them.

“Longy won everything there is to win at St Helens and in the game.

“His football sense is amazing – and I have learned so much off him already in such a short space of time.

“And I think, looking ahead, he will help even an already fantastic player like Luke Walsh become so much better than he is now.

“Longy’s presence and knowledge around the training is tremendous and he will be packing some of that knowledge in to the halves here.

“I am looking forward to working with Longy and I will keep working hard on my game and keep improving.

“With the squad we have got, even though we have a lot of hard work to do, the way that training has been built by the coaching staff augurs well.

“I will keep working hard and hopefully as prepared as I can be when it comes to playing my first game for St Helens and put my best foot forward.

“These are exciting times – I have signed a three-year deal so hopefully I will end my career here and will be doing my best to help the club win as many trophies in that time,” Burns said.