IT perhaps won’t be talked about for as long as Paul Anderson’s touchline conversion against Leeds in 2006, but Alex Walmsley’s successful goal kick to conclude the scoring in the 16-6 win over Leigh brought the loudest cheer of the night at a chilly Totally Wicked Stadium.
It was the icing on the cake for the big man’s testimonial game to mark the beginning of 10 years service at the club
With Lachlan Coote moving on to Hull KR, there is a vacancy in the goalkicking department, and no shortage of candidates.
But coach Kristian Woolf smiled afterwards when he said: “One thing I do know the job won’t be going to Al, even if he did get one tonight.
“We have a couple of options there and Lewis Dodd put his hand up, saying that he wants to have responsibility.
“We know that Mark Percival and Tommy Makinson can both kick as well, so we are quite well covered.”
Walmsley entered the field down a tunnel of players, accompanied by his two boys Atticus and Cassius.
And the healthy crowd, which came to pay tribute to Walmsley, saw a competitive game against a Leigh side keen to emulate last year’s success in Tommy Makinson’s game.
Woolf was pleased to see the fans turn out in numbers for Walmsley.
“It was a good turnout and a good game of foot,” he said.
“It was great that we got that try there near the end, because we made a deal with him that if we scored a try late on then we would let him take the conversion,
“The game is a great reward for a bloke who has been a great servant to the game over here – and certainly to St Helens.
“Listening to our blokes talk in the sheds they all really enjoy Al as a player and Al as a person in as well.
“We all respect what he does for us as a team, and we want him in that team.
“They love playing alongside him and playing for him tonight.”
Pictures: Bernard Platt
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