ST HELENS assistant coach Lee Briers has paid a strong tribute to the club’s Australian star Tristan Sailor and his contribution to the club since joining last season, refuting some critics who have questioned some of Sailor’s performances last year.
“It’s a bit unfair when I read that Tristan struggled last year,” said Briers.
“Tristan didn’t struggle. He was awesome. I know Tristan from being at the Broncos, so I know exactly what you get with him. Tristan was a shining light. And given how we are doing this year, people now have a different perception of him. He is very consistent, he doesn’t miss training sessions and he doesn’t miss games. I’m one of his biggest fans.
“Everything he does, he does with a smile on his face and he is the ultimate team player.”
And, as the club’s attack coach, Briers constantly interacts with Sailor.
“The good thing about Tristan is that he is really coachable,” said Briers.
“It’s not about me telling him what to do; it’s about him coming to me and saying ‘I think this works’.
“I’m cool with that because I’m big on empowerment, encouraging players to think and play and take ownership,
“Tristan is a really smart footballer and he’s a dream for any coach.”
Sailor was released, perhaps surprisingly, by Brisbane, but Briers is delighted that he then headed to the BrewDog Stadium.
“I’m not too sure what went on (at Brisbane), but I’m really pleased that he decided to come and play for us. He adds to our organisation. And if you look at Brisbane, with Reece Walsh at fullback, not many people are getting in ahead of him.”
Another player who has earned praise from many observers is young halfback George Whitby, who has been making the matchday 17 recently, but failed to get on the field in the recent victory against Wakefield.
“The plan was to put George on, but the fact that Wakefield were probably the strongest side in the last 15 or 20 minutes meant that changing key personnel at that point was too risky. George understands that.
“We don’t have conversations along the line of the 13-man squad and the bench. It’s a 17-man squad and everyone understands that. Some players might swap at different periods of the season. In any particular game, sometimes you don’t use 17 players.”
And with more players returning from injuries, the issue may arise for St Helens of allowing some of their younger players to go out on loan.
“I would love to answer that and say ‘this is the plan’, but we could lose another two players this weekend and so we are seriously going week to week at the moment and we’ll see what happens,” said Briers.
“But one thing we are really strong on at this club is making sure the development of each player is carefully looked at. Depending on where that player needs to be, that’s where he’ll end up.
“We won’t think too far ahead, because the way we’ve been losing players, you never know what’s around the corner.”