Edmondson eyes Grand Final

Edmondson eyes Grand Final

Mark Edmondson is aiming to sign off from St Helens with a Grand Final appearance before embarking on his Australian adventure.

The 25-year-old prop or second rower, who returns to the Saints squad for Saturday?s crucial engage Super League home game against London Broncos, is in buoyant mood after landing a two-year contract with 2002 National Rugby League champions Sydney Roosters.

Edmondson will line up alongside Great Britain forward Adrian Morley, the former Leeds favourite, at Bondi Junction from November and join the exclusive group of Britons to ply their trade in the prestigious NRL.

?It?s just an absolute dream come true,? he said. ?I had an approach from Australia saying there was a place up for grabs at Sydney and asking me if I was interested.

?I had always admired the NRL but I?d been concentrating on getting into the Great Britain team, playing well for St Helens and winning trophies. I wasn?t really thinking about anything else, it came out of the blue.?

Edmondson, who joined Saints as a teenager from rugby union, did not hesitate, even though he had the offer of a new two-year contract with St Helens.

?It all happened very quickly,? he said. ?I was due to sign for Saints for another two years and it?s breaking my heart in one way because the club have been so good to me. I?ve been here eight years and it?s like a family.

?But it?s a chance I can?t refuse and I can always comes back in years to come.?

Edmondson, who caught the eye with a hat-trick of tries in St Helens? 75-0 Challenge Cup rout of Wigan two months ago, is one of the fastest forwards in Super League but admits he will have his work cut out to establish himself in the Roosters? first-grade team.

?I am relishing the challenge,? he added. ?Just to be training at the Roosters and being around the players they?ve got in that intensity is going to be amazing. It can only take me up another level.

?I know I?ve got to put some size on before I go over there but I am relishing the hard work that I?m going to have to go through.

?I?m just going to soak it all up and learn all I can. I?m going to dedicate my next two years purely to making it out there. I?m not going out there to fail.

?It?s an absolute honour to join them and I want to pay them back. I want to earn my respect out there so I?m going to train as hard as I can and hopefully get selected.?

In the meantime, Edmondson is more determined than ever to make his mark at Knowsley Road and provide Saints with a parting gift.

?It?s given me a new lease of life,? he said. ?I?m full of energy and spirit and I just want to pay St Helens back for everything they?ve done for me. I want to finish off on a high with them in the Grand Final.

?When Apollo Perelini left the club to play rugby union, he finished on a high and I can remember watching him celebrate. It must have been an amazing feeling.

?I?ve had a pretty good season up to now but the last month has been up and down. I got concussed against Wigan four weeks ago and missed a week with that. I didn?t get picked for the Hull game, came back and played against Warrington but then had a cold last week.

?But I?m selected for the London game and I?m relishing the opportunity to finish off the season well.?

The Broncos are boosted by the return of full-back Zebastian Luisi, which enables winger Jon Wells to return to his normal position, while Saints will be wary of the threat posed by classy Australian half-backs Luke Dorn and Mark McLinden.

With the exception of skipper Paul Sculthorpe, who is on crutches after undergoing knee surgery, and hooker Mick Higham, St Helens are at full-strength as they look to seize their moment.

With a trip to Wigan and a final match against in-form Bradford to come, coach Daniel Anderson knows that Saints cannot afford to slip up in the closing stages of the regular season.

?Playing games like that will force us to go to a higher level,? he said. ?In the run-in we also have Wigan and Bradford, who have recaptured a lot of form.

?When you add to that the fact that there are also Great Britain selection places up for grabs and play-off places at Saints to be won, the boys have plenty of reasons to carry on playing good football. We also want to go into the play-offs with momentum.?

St Helens v London Broncos, Knowsley Road, Saturday August 20 2005

St Helens 18-man squad: Wellens, Albert, Lyon, Talau, Gardner, Hooper, Long, Fozzard, Cunningham, P. Anderson, V. Anderson, Gilmour, Wilkin, Roby, Fa?asavalu, Graham, Bennett, Edmondson.

London 18-man squad: Ablett, Armour, Bradley-Qalilawa, Dorn, Haumono, Hopkins, Lucky Luisi, Mateo, McLinden, Mbu, Smith, Stephenson, Sykes, Tookey, Trindall, Wells, Williams, Lolohea.

Referee: Glen Black

Thanks to www.superleague for this preview