ST HELENS young gun Harry Robertson admits his entrance into Super League this season has been unexpected but he is determined to keep his feet on the ground.
Teenager Robertson made his debut against Wigan in July, deputising for injured England star Jack Welsby.
The 18-year-old has shone since then and has gone on to make eight appearances for Saints, bagging his first try against Huddersfield.
“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind,” said Robertson.
“I didn’t really expect to play this year, and then debuting against Wigan. I thought I might just get maybe that game. But to keep playing has been brilliant and I’m learning loads every day.”
Robertson has filled in admirably at fullback for Welsby and has attracted praise for his performances.
But he concedes he has tried to not overthink his move from the Academy ranks into Super League.
“I tried not to think about it because obviously it’s an unrealistic expectation to fill his (Welsby’s) shoes,” the teenager said.
“But I think I’m not doing too badly. The praise is nice but I try not to let it go to my head. Just keep trying to do my best every week.”
A Widnes local, Robertson grew up into the Cheshire town as a fan of the Vikings.
He joined St Helens’ scholarship system at the age of 14 as a halfback, but after being moved to fullback the headgeared playmaker has thrived.
“Paul Wellens has been really good with me, along with a lot of senior players in the team,” he said.
“They know my strength is running with the ball and before every game they tell me to focus on that.
“They think I did so well against Wigan because I didn’t think about the game too much, I just went and played.
“That gives me a lot of confidence to go out and just treat it like a normal game of rugby.”
Saints have endured a difficult season and are fighting to make the play-offs.
Despite their challenges, Robertson insists St Helens remain confident they will make the top six.
“Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve gone through quite a lot of different emotions,” he said.
“There’s been a few disappointing defeats and a few close ones where we‘ve played well. Had things gone our way, we might have won. But we seem ready to go to another level for the rest of the season.
“Everyone’s just calm. We’re just going to try and go out and win every game.”
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