England international Matty Lees says he is overwhelmed by the support he was shown this weekend, as his St Helens side defeated Castleford Tigers in his testimonial fixture.
The Red Vee got life under Paul Rowley off to a winning start, as five second half tries helped them run away with the game, and finished with a 40-10 victory.
Back rower Shane Wright crossed twice, whilst new signing Nene MacDonald opened the scoring just 11 minutes into his unofficial debut with the club.
Lees almost crossed for a try himself, but it wasn’t to be for the big man, who celebrates a decade of service at the Saints, where he has won three Grand Finals and a Challenge Cup.
Giving an interview to SaintsTV after the game, the forward was delighted with the game and the day as a whole, and couldn’t thank the fans enough for their support.
He said: “It was really overwhelming how many people have come here to support me, it means a lot.
“It’s shocked me, the amount of people who have got behind me for this day and there’s been a big build up to it, as well, and it’s been great. I’ve really enjoyed it.
Commenting on the game as a whole, Lees believes it’s a brilliant starting block for the season ahead, and he believes that one key part of their performance improved significantly compared to last year.
“The first hit out is always challenging,” he exclaimed. “We’re building our combinations, what we’ve done over the pre-season and to get out there and do it on the field was really good.
“The lads were chomping at the bit to get out there. They are sick of training, and we’ve finally got a game under our belt together.
“It’s really exciting. We’ve shown what we’re about today and I think our attack has improved massively, so as long as we keep that defensive attitude on the back of that, we’ll go well.”
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St Helens star Matty Lees looks to follow in club legends’ footsteps
Lees may have done 10 years of service in the first team, but at 27, there is still plenty of gas left in the tank.
When asked about whether he could do another decade in the side, he was optimistic, and hopes he can emulate a St Helens legend in doing so.
He said: “I hope so! It would be nice that. Follow James Roby, that would be nice!”
Lees is currently on 174 Super League appearances for Saints, ranking him 18th in the club’s history. Depending on how many more campaigns he completes with the Red Vee, he could rise to the top 10, where Ade Gardner currently sits with 248, or even the top 5, held by Jonny Lomax who has 343 appearances to his name.
