“Longy was basically the best player I ever coached.”

Praise indeed from Saints’ Grand Slam winning boss Daniel Anderson, but Sean Long was the gift that kept on giving for 14 seasons.

Those years were never without their controversies - and there were times when charismatic Wiganer could appear to be as daft as a brush - but Long always delivered on the big stage.

Whether it was a nerveless conversion, a sweetly-struck drop goal or a commanding performance running the team, cometh the hour, cometh the magnificent seven.

It was probably a stroke of luck that saw Saints sign the player, discarded by Wigan, from Widnes for a bargain price of £80,000 in 1997.

He joined during the troubled mid season when the campaign seemed to be derailed immediately after their second Challenge Cup win.

As a youngster Long had pace to burn, but as that waned with each passing injury, like all smart footballers he developed further strings to his bow.

He began to establish himself as the team’s scrum half in 1998 when Bobbie Goulding moved on and slowly but surely began to gel with half back partner Tommy Martyn. To say their styles complemented each other was an understatement.

It delivered the goods, too, with Long coming off the bench during a tense 1999 Grand Final kicking a crucial penalty, and then with Bulls still leading 6-2 14 minutes from time, Kevin Iro forced his way over in the corner.

As cool as a cucumber, Long stepped up and from the touchline his left foot stroked the ball between the uprights.

Long really hit his straps in the new Millennium, scoring 24 tries in 33 matches, kicking goals for fun and orchestrating Saints’ plays during another tumultuous season.

It did not go unrecognised, with Long earning the coveted Man of Steel award – and although there was an inner steel beneath the flashiness, the mercurial number seven always brought a sense of fun.

And so after playing a part in the Wide to West try, with his cross-field kick opening up a new avenue during the bewildering passage of play and then passing it on to Dwayne West prior to Chris Joynt storming over, Long joined in with the celebrations – he ripped off St Bernard’s head and danced around.

He once again delivered in the semi and then Grand Final to help Saints retain the title, and in 2001 he carried on where he left off with a try, drop goal and three conversions in the 20-18 World Club Challenge win over Brisbane.

That year’s Challenge Cup Final saw a different Long – one with his astute tactical kicking head on, helping Saints win the war of attrition against Bradford and taking the Lance Todd for the first time.

Alas, not long after that, Long was felled after kicking the ball against Huddersfield and missed the remainder of the season.

2002 saw another Grand Final victory, again against Bulls, with Long slotting the crucial last minute drop goal in one of the best executed sets of six you could ever hope for.

Long was again in imperious form in 2004 as Saints demolished all the top sides en route to the Challenge Cup Final at Cardiff. But the match build-up was overshadowed somewhat by the betting scandal, involving Long and Martin Gleeson when they backed Bulls to beat a weakened Easter Monday Saints line-up.

Long, who did not play in that match, was subsequently banned for three months – but not before he had made a mockery of the cloud hanging over him at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.

It was a virtuoso performance from Long against his hometown team, with his strong running game and astute kicking tearing Wigan apart, collecting a second Lance Todd in the process.

No played coped, nay revelled, in adversity as much as Long and that was shown during that spell – and Saints’ campaign was utterly derailed in the months he was missing.

A turbulent 2005 saw Ian Millward sacked and replaced with Anderson, but Long retained his central role in calling the shots.

So it was a devastating blow for the team when, after finishing top of the table, Terry Newton’s forearm smashed Long’s cheekbone into smithereens and with it went Saints’ hopes of winning the title.

But showing no ill effects, Long was back at his string pulling best in 2006 during the clean sweep of 2006 with Long skippering the side the Grand Final glory two months after collecting his unprecedented third Lance Todd.

Two more Challenge Cups were added to his collection before moving onto to Hull FC at the end of 2009 after a remarkable stint in the red vee.

Sean Long.

1997-2009.

Appearances: 331.

Tries: 156.

Goals: 989.

Drop goals: 23.

Points: 2625.