All eyes on the Longy v Kyle show (From St Helens Star)

All eyes on the Longy v Kyle show

10:13am Thursday 4th February 2010

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THE sorcerer will confront his apprentice on Saturday evening when Saints kick off their Super League XV programme against a new-look Hull FC.

And although all eyes will be on the duel between former Saints idol Sean Long and new kid on the block Kyle Eastmond there will be plenty of key confrontations in this mouthwatering opener at Knowsley Road.

“We won’t be making any special plans to deal with Sean Long"

Mick Potter, Saints coach

An even bigger battle will be waged when the two packs collide – with Hull noticeably beefed up by the addition of Australian Test duo Mark O’Meley, dubbed the Ogre because of his physique, and Craig Fitzgibbon.

Although the Long v. Eastmond encounter is a marketing man’s dream, how the rival scrum halves shape will depend heavily on how the battle in the middle of the park progresses.

Saints coach Mick Potter said: “We won’t be making any special plans to deal with Sean – he will be one of 17 we will have to worry about.

“O’Meley is going well for them, and Fitzgibbon adds a fair bit of strike to their game.

“Willie Manu on the left hand side is always dangerous and creates trouble for the opposition. He is one of the best back rowers in Super League.”

But Potter, his team and 10,000 Saints fans know that come 5.45pm on Saturday Long will be trying to pull out another big game from his locker against the club that allowed him to leave after 12 glittering seasons.

Potter added: “Sean handles the ball a lot and the people close by him will also have to be watched just because of how he plays in taking the ball right to the line.

“He also does a lot of kicking and that is one of the things we need to make sure we are good at, making sure they can only get one kick away so he has not got three different options.”

Saints full back Paul Wellens said seeing Long in black and white looked ‘a bit weird.’ But he expects Long to have a big influence on an under-achieving Hull side during the course of the year.

“Hull have improved a lot in the personnel they have recruited. They will be a different force than they were last year.

“Sean’s influence will also take a lot of pressure off the guys around him because he is someone who likes to command the game.

“He is a lively character and giving him the captaincy means he will have a big decisions that are made,” Wellens said.

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