Full back Jonny Lomax had to cheer Saints' 2014 Grand Final triumph from the sidelines but is aiming to be at the heart of their Super League title defence.

The 24-year-old was forced into the role of spectator for the last four months of the season after rupturing his cruciate knee ligaments in Saints' 42-0 defeat by Catalans Dragons in Perpignan last June.

But he was able savour the club's 14-6 success over Wigan as a fan and afterwards joined in the celebrations.

"I was gutted to miss out but it was a goal that you've all, as a team, worked towards, not just last year but in the years gone by," said Lomax, who made his Saints debut in 2009.

"You've all been working together with a common goal and you celebrate it together. Once that final whistle went, everyone was made up.

"For me it was nice to enjoy it as a fan again and have those emotions of a fan, knowing that I couldn't influence the game, because sometimes when you are playing, you don't always take everything in, you are so caught up in the game."

The victorious end to St Helens' rollercoaster season helped put a smile back on the face of Lomax, who admits he endured some "dark days" in the wake of his season-ending injury.

"Your cruciate is what sportsmen don't want to hear, it's the one they dread," he said.

"The average return is six to nine months but I did the other one when I was younger, before I had played a minute of Super League, so I kind of knew it would be alright, even though I knew about the hard times ahead.

I knew how lonely and tedious it could be."

Lomax made his comeback in Saints' pre-season friendlies and is now looking forward to the club's opening league game, coincidently, against the Catalans, at Langtree Park next Friday.

"I was just happy to get back on the field after such a long time out,"

he said. "There are times when you are doing your rehab when you think you're not going to get back to it.

"It was a bit of a relief, knowing the knee stood up well.

"It was nice to get some metres back in the legs and take a bit of contact. The more I play, the more I will become confident with the knee."

Lomax, who was switched from half-back to full-back by former coach Nathan Brown, had played himself into the England reckoning after helping his club to nine consecutive wins at the start of last season and new boss Keiron Cunningham expects him to be challenging Sam Tomkins for the number one jersey in time for the autumn Test series against New Zealand.

However, after his injury nightmare, Lomax is not looking too far down the track.

"I just want to get back playing and doing my bit here," he said. "I think everyone has that goal to represent their country but for the time being all I want to do is get back on the field for Saints. I'll just see where we go from there."