PROP Kyle Amor believes Saints can challenge the Wigans, Warringtons and Hulls for the trophies this term after something of a hit-and-miss 2016.

Although Saints finished the season strongly, and but for a few harsh calls could have made it back to Old Trafford, it was on the whole a frustrating season with the team underperforming in too many key games, particularly in the first half of the year.

It is not something the hard-working Cumbrian tries to brush over, but he believes some harsh lessons have been learned ahead of the big kick off a week on Thursday.

And he also thinks the team is stronger and better equipped to make a significant challenge after two seasons without silverware.

Amor said: “Last year was frustrating because we know what we were capable of.

“It was not through a lack of will and want. It is hard to put a finger on on it.

“When you are playing in a 17-man squad you can cope with one or two players who were out of form, but at the start of last season we had five and six guys who were way off what the club and us as players demand.

“It took to a point where we just got our heads together in early June and asked how we wanted to be remembered.

“It is a pity that it took something like that but this year we have recruitment that is going to be bang on for us.

“Hopefully we should have a real dominant campaign like we did in 2014 and try and sit at the top for as long as we can and hopefully put the marker down that we are the side this year to challenge Wigan and Hull for their trophies.

“We let ourselves down in the big games.

“To have the likes of Huddersfield, who finished near the bottom, put 50 on us at Magic – it should not be happening.

“Those blips we were having were big blips and I think that is what put a lot of fans backs up.

“When we got beat we got beat in every department and that was the hard thing to take, players, fans and coaches alike.

“We have got to go into the season fully with that fresh in our mind and be ready to go toe-to-toe with anyone."

The 29-year-old, who signed a new deal in the autumn which will keep him at Saints until the of 2020, is happy with the way the pack has been beefed up with the addition of Luke Douglas and Adam Walker.

And outside Saints have recruited genuine strike in Ryan Morgan to give the team threat on both edges.

And although Matty Smith will miss the start of the season with injury, Amor believes the new number seven is just what they need.

“I think Matty Smith will be a great addition.

“When you have a guy who believes in the club and is from the area and his family are die-hard fans that is going to be a guy who is never going to go missing.

“You don’t appear in that many Grand Finals and win Lance Todds without having something.

“His game management is second to none and I reckon he will be brilliant for us.

“I had only met him once before off the field, but he is an absolutely diamond bloke. In pre-season the way he spoke with the players it felt like he had been around a long time.

“You can tell he is a genuine leader,” Amor said.

Unfortunately the injury Smith sustained in the Widnes friendly means that he will miss the Super League opener at home to Leeds.

The match against a Rhinos side who went from treble winners to the middle 8s in 12 months will be an interesting one — Saints v Leeds ones always are.

And as much as Leeds will be keen to show early on that last year was just a blip, a product of injuries and their adjustment to life after Sinfield and Peacock, Saints too will be looking to start strongly.

Amor, whose Super League career started at Leeds, was looking forward to kicking the year off against one of the sport’s big guns.

“You want to be tested from the off. The way things are now, every team on its day can turn the other over.

“But Leeds will be looking to come here and lay down a marker and get their season off to a real big start. But obviously so do we - you will see two teams who have been training since November for this,” Amor said.