IT is 33 years since Good Friday's guest - Mal Meninga – signed off a 31-match spell by scoring two tries to help Saints win the Premiership Trophy.

That is a long time – in rugby years –and Saints have won significantly more important pots than that since then and yet Meninga is still revered in the town by a generation of fans.

The Australian national coach was a surprise guest at the Wigan game – giving the team a pre-match gee up and taking rapturous applause on the pitch beforehand.

He has said in the past that he is embarrassed by the adulation he still receives here after such a short stint, so long ago.

Well the reason is simple.

In the years before Meninga signed up at Saints - alongside compatriot Phil Veivers - Saints had gone seven long years without a trophy of any sort.

And to put that into context there were six cups every year to grab at during most of that period and Leeds, Widnes, Bradford, Leigh, Barrow, Wigan, Hull, Hull KR, Featherstone, Castleford, Warrington and Workington had all had at least one of those pots to polish whilst the Saints sideboard gathered dust.

A lack of silverware led to a diminishing supporter base and thus began a vicious circle with Saints never in the hunt for big money signings - and therefore never in the running for trophies.

Meninga’s year at Saints came like a bolt from the blue.

Not only did he help a team filled with good, young locally produced players deliver two trophies - Lancashire Cup and Premiership - he brought in more fans.

Big Mal’s arrival woke up the town to rugby league again, stirring a couple of thousand extra supporters to go to Knowsley Road on a Sunday.

That gave the club an infusion of new blood that certainly helped going forward - even during the years of Wigan domination.

That is what special stars do; their footsteps create ripples.

Great afternoons that they were, Meninga's importance to the club for me will always be measured in more than the 28 tries he scored, the dozens he laid on for Sean Day and the silverware he brought home.

Although the team fell flat, temporarily after he returned to Australia, gates were still up on the years before he came.

People had caught the rugby bug again - Saints had a present and a future, rather than simply a past.

Ben Barba’s feet may be lighter and more nimble, but his too will create a lasting ripple.

If he carries on like he has started, people will still be talking about him too 33 years hence.

The lessons from the Meninga year, and the subsequent years of 'will or won't he come back', for me are similar to the ones from when Jamie Lyon was here. Namely, don't waste time fretting what life will be without them and speculating whether they will stay or when they go, just sit back and enjoy.

Actually, do more than that - try and persuade every other sports follower, young or old, in town to come and watch him play at least once.

Barba is such a special talent.

That ability to to change direction without breaking stride, as used on Wigan full back Morgan Escare, is a rare quality and was probably worth the admission money alone.

It is really important when players like this don the red vee, that we absolutely make the most of it while they are here.