SAINTS skipper Jon Wilkin is keen to make up for lost time after suffering a frustrating summer with a broken thumb sidelining him just when his presence on the field was needed most.

In his absence, the team suffered three consecutive Super 8s losses on the back of their Challenge Cup semi-final defeat, with the club captain left powerless to influence events.

Wilkin needed his thumb pinning after suffering a displaced Bennett’s fracture at Warrington in mid July and has found the injury surprisingly debilitating in preventing him from any rugby related activity.

But he expects to be back for Friday’s trip to Leeds as Saints aim to put their title defence back on track – and Wilkin’s leadership will be important for a team that is need of a steady hand on the tiller.

Wilkin said: “It was a frustrating time to pick up the injury, especially with what is happening on the field.

“The last month has been tough for the boys and tough for the club. If anything a bit of guidance on the field and a bit of leadership would have helped.

“That said it has been a great opportunity for some other guys in the team to learn and take on other roles.

“Part of the club going forward is finding the people that do the role that myself and Paul Wellens, and historically Sean Long, Keiron Cunningham and Paul Sculthorpe have done - the more vocal guys in the team.

“It has been an opportunity to see where those guys are coming from. When you look on the field you want to see confidence, direction and belief.

“When it is not going so well it is sometimes lacking and that is where you need to find your leaders. There are maybe a couple of guys who have stepped up.

“One thing I have always done as a player is ask questions and not just accept what is said and presented to us.

“That makes you more demanding and difficult to coach at times, but it is one of the key things to make you into a senior player.

“It is a way of encouraging the guys to take on leadership roles, be more demanding and give feedback.”

Although Saints have had worse spells in Super League than the one they are currently going through, it has been magnified by the fact that this run has come just as Leeds seem to be firing on all cyclinders. And of course, Saints are defending champions.

Wilkin has his own theory.

“A team that is quiet is one that is not performing and I feel that we have been quiet,” he said.

“In sport you jump from extreme to another – produce a result and we are the best, lose a few and we are the worst.

“Are we the worst Saints team – to quote what someone outside the stadium said – for 82 years? No. Are we the best? No – but the season is not done yet.

“I don’t believe flitting from one extreme to the other is right, but we are somewhere in between with a lot of work to do.”

Last year Saints shocked the rugby league world when they lifted the title with an against-the-odds Grand Final win over Wigan.

There was an assumption that that crop of young players, who had their first taste of success would automatically get better with that notch on their belt.

And although the team remains blessed with young, developing talent, with players like Mark Percival and Andre Savelio really taking their game up a notch – the departure of some experienced personnel does crank up the pressure and expectation.

Wilkin added: “We have a great side with some fantastic young players who do things that I could not do at their age.

“We have to remember that we are a young side that has lost a lot of experienced players. This is a period of learning.

“The word transition does my head in - we are not in transition as a club, but we have a lot of young guys who are in transition from being young players to seniors.

“They are going from being young players, with no expectations upon them, to players with expectations.

“That is the difference and dealing with that expectation is par for the course. If you deal with it you thrive and if you don’t, then you go and play somewhere else.

“You find out the guys who really want it when it’s tough. When things are going well it is easy at St Helens – you walk out at that stadium, the best resources, great coaching and the best support staff.

“When things are going tough you find out who really wants to do it.

“On appearances this job is easy – we come and play rugby for a couple of hours, but it is a difficult job. We break ourselves physically, and although we get paid well we get a lot of criticism and scrutiny.

“You have to think about the job 24/7 and that is the test for young guys. If you can deal with that, the rewards of this game are amazing. That is the challenge.”

Wilkin highlighted that Saints have lost a lot of experience from the Grand Final winning squad of last year - not simply their heart and sould Paul Wellens. Mature influences like Anthony Laffranchi, Willie Manu, Sia Soliola and Lance Hohaia have also departed.

Wilkin said: "Since Paul Wellens has retired it has highlighted the fact that we need more vocal experienced guys on the field, whether from within or elsewhere. It is one thing that I have realised.

"The other thing you take things for granted what others do and it is only when they go you realise they have been doing it.

"There are things players did in the past that went under the radar and once they move on you need to find other guys to do it.

"As a captain I realise the value of the unnoticed attributes, not necessarily playing, but the guys that bind the squad together – whether it is guys that are sociable, strong family men or maybe religious;  all those uncelebrated characteristics that are not rugby related but just as important."

The Challenge Cup Final gave Saints, who with the World Club Challenge game have not had a week off since January, a break that was much needed mentally as much as physically.

Wilkin believes this break came just at the right time for a flagging team – but the proof of the pudding will be in the eating from this Friday onwards.

“We have been going poorly and this will make people more mentally refreshed.

“After a poor performance you are always thinking about the things you could have done better.

“Giving people time off to go away with their families I don’t think that process will have been happening. We came back in and trained so well, better than for a long time,” he said.