JAMES Graham will make his return debut as a Saint almost nine years since bowing out in the 2011 Grand Final defeat.

The international front rower, who went on to mix it with the best in the tough world of the NRL, is back where it all started.

And coach Kristian Woolf has outlined what a positive impact the former Saints skipper has already made since joining the camp.

Woolf said: "He has fitted in exceptionally well.

"I knew that he would.

"When it first came up we had a number of discussions with him over the phone and the thing that shone through with every conversation we had was how excited he was to come here and his reasoning was all right.

"It made it impossible for us not to want to make that happen.

READ: Woolf has fully fit squad for the first time since taking over

"He has come in with a terrific enthusiasm and has a terrific presence within the group.

"He is a great personality with a driven mindset about what he wants to achieve.

"We will get everything he’s got out of James – and because of that he’ll get more out of the players around him.

"He has great experience, especially in big games, and this is what he offers the rest of the group".