Highly-rated St Helens (10/3 Grand Final Outright) half-back Jonny Lomax has insisted he wants to continue his development at the club following his breakthrough campaign in the Super League last term.

The Saints were one of the main forces in the competition last season but once again fell short at the final hurdle, with a Grand Final defeat at the hands of the Leeds Rhinos last October.

Lomax was a key member of the squad who helped the Merseyside club reach the showpiece event at Old Trafford, despite just 21.

Now the playmaker is looking to push on in the upcoming campaign, as Saints get their season underway on Friday night with a match-up against London Broncos (Broncos 3/1, draw 25/1, Saints 2/9).

He said: “Last year I didn’t really have much of a pre-season because of injury.

“This year I’ve had a good pre-season – the ankle turned out to be better than I thought – and I’m coming into the season feeling much more confident than I did last year. Hopefully I can kick on.”