St Helens signing Lewis Murphy opens up on Sydney Roosters and insists: 'It's my time now'

Ex-Wakefield winger, 22, had a pugnacious clip successful Australia warring backmost from ACL but maintains he's a amended idiosyncratic and subordinate for it arsenic helium heads location to nexus up with Paul Wellens' side

After a frustrating spell successful Australia, St Helens signing Lewis Murphy says he’s ne'er been hungrier to shine.

The lightning speedy winger has started pre-season grooming with Paul Wellens’ broadside aft linking up connected a two-year woody from Sydney Roosters. He was regarded arsenic 1 of the champion young talents astir erstwhile the NRL giants announced his signing from Wakefield past April for the 2024 campaign. But, conscionable a period earlier, Murphy suffered a season-ending ACL wounded with Trinity meaning helium was ever playing catch-up erstwhile helium arrived down under.

Murphy, 22, failed to marque a azygous NRL quality this term, with England planetary Dom Young alternatively flourishing for the Roosters. He was constricted to conscionable 7 games successful reserve people but is present acceptable to marque up for mislaid clip - and maintains helium learned plentifulness from moving astatine the star-studded club.

Murphy said: “I’m conscionable truthful grateful. I was astir elite coaching and elite players, the champion of the best. Learning from them, taking it each in, knowing the crippled a batch much and getting my assemblage right, astatine my age, it was a large experience.

“I bash deliberation I’m a stronger idiosyncratic for it all. One 100 percent. It was the archetypal clip surviving distant from my mum and each my household and you turn arsenic a idiosyncratic arsenic good arsenic a player.

“It was pugnacious astatine the commencement but past I was consecutive into pre-season truthful was conscionable focusing connected the rugby and, being successful Australia, it was a large manner and everything astir it. But present I can’t hold to get going with Saints.”

He has been handed the No20 jersey by Wellens with different NRL enlistee - North Queensland’s goal-kicking winger Kyle Feldt - taking the No2 jersey vacated by Tommy Makinson, the Saints fable who has near for Catalans. Murphy changeable to fame with 19 tries successful conscionable 21 appearances for Trinity successful 2022, including FOUR successful 1 crippled against Saints.

He became renowned for his acrobatic finishes and accelerated gait - traits helium hopes to showcase to Saints fans arsenic they enactment their ain disappointing twelvemonth down them. Murphy admitted: “I’m astir apt arsenic bare arsenic I’ve ever been successful my life, conscionable to play rugby league again - and amusement everyone what I tin do.

“It’s been bully getting successful present astatine Saints and large seeing each my household again and being backmost adjacent to them successful England.

“Saints fans person had years of enjoying Tommy Makinson. I cognize that. And I cognize the unit that comes with playing astatine a nine similar St Helens. I recognize there’s large boots to fill. But I spot this arsenic my clip now.”