THE current crop of Saints players stand on the shoulders of giants when they pull on that red vee worn by Murphy and Meninga, Vinty and Voll, Kel and Kez.

Knowsley Road, and now the TWS, has certainly been blessed with some legends over the decades, as the concourse walls of the stadium testify.

But none of those star-studded teams – whether the 50s, 60s, early 70s or the Super League era – have ever done what Saints’ crop of 2019-21 have achieved.

Three league titles in a row is a first for this proud club – and with the mood in the camp and a look at the roster for next year you would not back against a fourth.

St Helens Star:

That achievement will be indelibly marked there forever in the history books, maybe something that will jump out as a true golden era when fans look back.

But this crop of players – we could start with James Roby, Jonny Lomax, Lachlan Coote, Big Al and Morgan Knowles and then simply carry on listing them all – have contributed hugely to making this team such a formidable force.

In an era of salary cap and a so-called level playing field, the way this team has evolved from a team classed a big-match bottlers from Wembley 2019 to such an invincible force has been a remarkable transformation.

St Helens Star:

But for coach Kristian Woolf, who has masterminded the last two titles, plus a Challenge Cup, there is no secret.

He said: “They are a really special group of men, from 1-17, including the blokes who didn’t play on Saturday.

“The likes of Theo Fages, James Bentley, Josh Eaves and Joel Thompson have contributed in different ways through the year.

“That is what makes the group so special.

“To hear the noise and the reaction of the fans, enjoying spending time with the players and what they have achieved is special.

St Helens Star:

“As is going over hearing our crowd singing songs and the reception you get.

“For these blokes it is one of the reasons they play footy and that is what makes it really enjoyable.

“Our blokes put themselves through so much in terms of work on and off the field.

“It is a physical game and there are not too many games that match up to the physicality of rugby league and what they want is to be appreciated.

“The way our fans do appreciate us is an outstanding feeling and something you want to keep striving for more.

“It is really important that we enjoy this special group of men that have achieved something that deserves a lot of acknowledgement.

St Helens Star:

“St Helens should be really proud of the group of men that represent them.

“What they have done – they have proven game on game, year on year in big occasions.

“They know how to get the job done, the sacrifices they have to make and how to stick together and hang tough, in tough times.

“That’s exactly what they had to do in Saturday’s Grand Final.”