LIFTING the Challenge Cup on Saturday evening might just be the tonic Saints skipper Paul Sculthorpe needs after a frustrating, stop-start 12 months.

The twice Man of Steel has suffered a dip in fortunes of late - brought about by a series of injuries which have either sidelined him or inhibited his natural game.

But after recovering from a knee ligament injury sustained while captaining Great Britain for the first time in June, Sculthorpe has proved his fitness with some old flashes of brilliance re-appearing at Castleford two weeks ago.

Sculthorpe said: "It was a big blow to get injured in the Test match. Even though I knew I would be fit for the final, as a player you want games under your belt.

"Daniel said to me I want you playing in two of the three before it'. Sometimes you lose a bit of touch when you are not playing, but in those two games I felt really good with the ball."

Reverting to the second row berth he occupied in his first season at Saints in 1998, Sculthorpe had a relatively quiet start to the season.

That, combined with his recent string of injuries, has meant for the first time in his career at Knowsley Road there were even murmurings as to whether the skipper was worth a starting spot, given the abundance of back row talent at the club.

Those views would have been unthinkable two or three years ago but Sculthorpe is determined not to be written off at 28.

Sculthorpe said: "It has been stop-start for me over the last year. But that was a major operation I went through last year, which took more healing than I probably realised, but hopefully I can put that behind me because I have still a lot of years ahead of me.

"Players go through it - Keiron had it with his injuries, especially his elbow, but look at the way he is playing now. It is the nature of the game.

"Of course it is disappointing to miss games. The fans see you when you are not playing, and are frustrated, but they are not as gutted as me. Players are only good when they are on the field."

He is not downcast by the criticism, and fully understands Daniel Anderson's decision to take the number 13 spot off him this season.

"At the start of the year when I was struggling with my knee, moving laterally and stepping, Daniel told me to get back on to the field it would be better to run the straight lines in the second row.

"I have been doing that, but hopefully now I can get more opportunity to use the ball and get my kicking game going again.

"At the end of the day that is the way I play the game and if I see something that needs doing I will do it," said Sculthorpe.