SAINTS boss Justin Holbrook may still be smarting from Thursday’s knockout, but he is already putting plans in place for next year.

And part of that involves going to America to pick up some training tips from the world of basketball and NFL.

The players break up this week, apart from those on World Cup duty, but training begins again in early November as Saints plan to use the hurt of Thursday’s loss to motivate them to go a step further next year.

And one of the biggest thing Holbrook has stressed to them is the importance of a good start to the campaign to avoid a back end of the campaign packed with a series of fraught must-win games.

Holbrook said: “Players finish after their reviews, but we are back at the start of November.

“I am going to America for a week for a coaching study trip with Matty Daniels (strength and conditioning) and Nathan Mill (physio) to have a look around at some other teams.

It is a way to get away from rugby league but still be involved with ideas on how you can do things better.

“We will be visiting Seattle Seahawks, Oregon University which has heaps of sports there, and Memphis Grizzlies. Its is a mixture of NFL and NBA clubs.

“I will get some ideas there.”

Holbrook joined Saints at the end of May, and given the position they were in it was a case of managing game-to-game with little time to think broader and longer term.

This time now will allow the coach a pre-season with the squad to apply some fresh ideas.

Holbrook said: “When you go week to week, like we did, and we had to win every game

“I said to playing group after the game we don’t want to be going through this next year, we have to start the year well and use the hurt we are feeling now to give us an advantage.

“The next three or four weeks to clear my head and get thoughts around. Before we know it we will be back training.

“They will be coming back in staggers, the staff first, then the younger guys and it will be after Christmas that we will get everyone on deck.”

He will have a meeting at the end of this week with his coaching staff, which is staying the same for next season.

“After we have had the players in, to get those sorted, towards the back end of this week we will get the other coaches and performance staff and discuss how we want to work to get the best out of next year,” he said.

As for recruitment, despite talk of Peter Matautia signing, at the moment there is nothing to report on new faces.

Holbrook said: “We don’t have any room to move in that area.

“When I first got here it (changes) was a much talked about subject, but everyone is locked in for next year.

“The ones we have resigned – Luke Thompson, Morgan Knowles, Regan Grace and Danny Richardson – are young guys who we want to extend based on how well they are playing and how well we anticipate them playing in the future

“There is not a lot of movement. That said, we were 30 seconds away from a Grand Final – if we’d have got there and won it we would not have been asking for too many new players. It is when they fall short that you ask for them.

“I really like the playing group and they have done as I have asked.

"As for our squad, it is nice to bring a fresh face or two in but we did that with Ben Barba and also James Bentley.

“I we can get another one or two over the next two months, that would be good – but if not. I’ll be fine with it.”