AFTER coming off the bench for the past two games, Saints’ Australian linchpin Luke Walsh will start Friday’s home match against Widnes.

The star number seven had an immediate impact when he entered the fray at half time against Leeds last week – but by that stage Saints already had a mountain to climb trailing 28-6.

Although some fans queried why Walsh had not been introduced sooner, coach Keiron Cunningham made a stout defence of his strategy of slowly increasing his key man’s involvement on his return from a badly broken leg and ankle damage.

Cunningham said: “I had a plan which I was always going to run with regardless and don’t care what anyone says about when I should or shouldn’t have played him.

“If I had done the wrong things by Luke and then he hurt his ankle again, or does something that makes him break down, pull a muscle or something that is not right – then I would not be doing myself justice.

“This was my plan of attack and trust me, I was sat in the box watching the game too and nearly deviating from my first call because I knew what influence he would have.

“This week we have Luke for the full 80 minutes.”

Walsh has not started a game since the clash with Widnes last July – and although he clearly showed signs of lacking match fitness, that did not stop him adding potency, composure and structure to Saints’ attack.

Cunningham believes it will take a good month before we see Walsh fully firing – but flashes of his sublime passing and kicking game on Friday have already whetted the appetite.

“Widnes will be game three and that is where you generally get your match fitness.

“Luke looked a lot better at Leeds than his first game at Huddersfield where he looked a little bit tentative in some of the contacts – as anyone would with that type of injury.

“Every contact is a bonus because it reassures you that it is OK. I went through this with my elbow – and when you come back you wonder ‘is it going to go again?’ but in the end you forget about it,” Cunningham said.

Saints also look set to welcome back Mark Percival, who has not played since damaging medial knee ligaments against Wakefield in early March.

“He has gone through his fitness test – and if he comes through the rest of the week’s training unscathed then he will play on Friday. He is a special player who did really well for us at the start of the season, losing him was a big blow.

“He is a Widnes boy and his mate is Jack Owens on the Vikings wing so Friday will be a good little battle for him to come back into.

“If he is fit he will give us some strike out there because with players playing out of position we struggle on that edge when he is not there,” he said.

Widnes are coming into this having thrashed Castleford last Sunday. However, the Chemics are yet to win on their travels with Saints also the only side to have beaten them on their home iPitch this term.

Cunningham is not anticipating a walk in the park against a team that is well-marshalled by Haydock’s Kevin Brown.

“Brown was sensational on Sunday, working with Rhys Hanbury. It is definitely going to be tough, but if we get a good defensive display and we attack anything like we can then I believe we will roll on from the second half against Leeds,” Cunningham said.