DIMINUTIVE half back Theo Fages made an immediate impression on his first outing in the red vee, showing all the hallmark of a player they would like to build the team around in the future.

Although coach Keiron Cunningham has yet to decide on the half back pairing to start Super League, the 21-year-old Frenchman certainly gave him food for thought with the way he pepped up the Saints attack.

Cunningham will use the senior squad’s last trial game to look at combinations involving Fages, Luke Walsh, Travis Burns and Jordan Turner in the halves – but Saints are already looking in better shape than the past two seasons when skipper Jon Wilkin has had to step in from the back row due to lack of cover.

Weighing up how he will decide his half back conundrum, Cunningham said: “The halves situation will be whatever gives the best balance for the side.

“When Theo became available I jumped at it. I was looking elsewhere at something else when he came up.

“He is definitely the right man for us; he gives us depth in certain areas and is also the future of the club.”

Although nobody will get too carried away from a run out against plucky Championship outfit Dewsbury, there were nevertheless highly promising indicators of what lies ahead.

Cunningham added: “Theo is a great little player and looked very comfortable given he has only had one pre season with all of these players.

“He has gone through off one play, scored one off another play and them put Louie through on another play.

“That’s not bad for a first run out.

“He can play at hooker, too, at a push and so that gives us cover in that department to give Robes a break.”

Gifted and available half backs have been as rare as hen’s teeth in the British game for the past decade, so bringing in Fages while Walsh is still here looks to be a shrewd piece of business.

Cunningham explained what he had seen in the former Salford Red Devil.

“His intricate parts of the game are something he is quite natural at,” he said.

“Theo is a natural footballer and there are not many of those about, unless you are looking at Australia to bring something in.

“I sold him to the Chairman and Rushy as potentially the next scrum half at the club for 10 to 15 years.

“We have got a good seven at the club when Walshy moved on you would to think Theo would be there to fill his boots.”

Meanwhile Sunday’s friendly at home to Widnes will allow Saints a closer look at a player that appears to be on their watch list – 21-year-old half back Tom Gilmore.

The Widnesian is behind quality pairing Joe Mellor and Kevin Brown in the Vikings pecking order, but is contracted until the end of 2016.

Cunningham said: “Tom is friends with Percy and Jack Owens.

“He is a good little player and I am always interested in good little players, especially people who live down the road.

“If he becomes available and we have finances available and he fits our club then we will always look at it, but he is not a player we are openly going after at the minute.”

To add to the mix, Saints have already pushed through Danny Richardson, another Widnesian, through from the academy.