LEE BRIERS is seeing the “green shoots” at St Helens as an injury-battered side prepare for a challenging fortnight.
Saints have defied a long and star-studded injury list, including Jack Welsby, Alex Walmsley and Matty Lees, to win five games in a row in all competitions ahead of Friday’s trip to Hull KR and the Good Friday home derby with Wigan Warriors.
It’s made for an encouraging start to life under new head coach Paul Rowley, who arrived from Salford Red Devils looking to implement new attacking philosophies to a Saints side traditionally built on its defence.
As the assistant tasked in particular with working on attack, within the three-man coaching group that also includes Eamon O’Carroll, Briers has played an important role in delivering the changes desired by Rowley.
“It’s been an evolving system,” Briers explained to League Express.
“We’ve had to change a few things and everyone is on board. Has it been perfect? No. Do we expect it to be perfect? Definitely not. But we’re seeing green shoots.
“While we’ve not blown anybody off the park in terms of offence, we’re certainly hitting some good targets that we’ve set ourselves.
“We’re relatively pleased. If you asked me for a grade, it’s probably a B or C at the moment.”
Briers says the first task for the coaches in pre-season was “to make people believe in what you’re saying”.
He added: “There were a lot of reps and a lot of vision (video) to implement belief.
“There are going to be ups and down, there are going to be positional switches, so it’s really important that everybody understands their role in the system, and I believe that’s where we are at the moment.
“The key is that we’ve got a system, and the system will stay the same whoever is playing. We expect our players to deliver in that system.
“Obviously there’s been a bit of disruption, but it’s next man up.”