Weltnachrichten – AU – Countdown to the grand finale: Jonny Lomax on growing up « on the front lines » of the Derby rivalry

After the Ace of Saints was weaned from bitter rivalry, as a youth working for Orrell St. James played, even canceled exams for the Wigan town team.

« The derby is deep, I’m on the front line in Billinge so I get it from both sides, » smiled the 30-year-old.

« It’s instilled into you at a young age, from grandparents and parents, and it’s a constant in your life.

« I’ve always been a Saints fan, and while I’ve played at Orrell St James, it was surprisingly more 50-50 Wigan Saints than you might have thought.

« On Saturday morning after a Friday derby there were always these jokes and arguments about the game. So I’ve always been familiar with the game and it’s nice to have that perspective. « .

« Being a team from Wigan it was fun when it came to city teams – maybe I should have gone to Wigan with my club, but I was in a St. Helens school so I could go to St Helens attempts instead. « 

Wigan winger Jake Bibby, who will also play in the Grand Final, is one of the club’s many current Super League players who clearly impressed Lomax.

« I still have a lot of friends from my amateur days, » he said. « We have met every year since we split up at 16 and hope that we can do that again, depending on the Covid guidelines. « .

Lomax is expected to be a key player for St. Helens play in tonight’s Grand Final which, in his own opinion, is too short to name.

« It’s a 50:50 game, Wigan are a good team, » said the England international. « It’s exciting, there are two good teams in the biggest game and it’s a dream to be involved in games like this. Getting there is a tremendous achievement and that reflects the hard work everyone has done.

« There was a time when we didn’t know if the season would start again. So it’s good to be one of the two teams in the big dance. « . ”

St Helens R. . F.. . C.. . , Jonny Lomax, Super League, Wigan Warriors, James Graham, Grand Final, James Roby, Billinge