St Helens expect Kyle Eastmond form to improve

(GETTY IMAGES)

Royce Simmons is hoping Kyle Eastmond can finish his St Helens career with a bang.

The Saints coach is relieved Eastmond has finally made a decision on his future after weeks of speculation, even though he is disappointed with the outcome that will see him join Bath at the end of the season.

Simmons believes that the fans will now see the true capability of Eastmond.

Speaking to PROBIZ Tryline this week, the Australian said: "The decision's been made now. Lets get on with life and try and win some games of footy"

"We've seen an improvement in last week's performance but we want to see a continued improvement too."

Simmons confirmed that he had been encouraging his man to make the decision as soon as he could, as the pressure of the speculation was not the only thing that has been affecting Eastmond's form.

He added: "When you've got a young player who has just got over two ankle operations, back to back surgeries, it was going to take him a little while to get back in to the game."

And Simmons is convinced it's not all bad news for the sport. Despite the fact that St Helens are losing one of their better young prospects he is taking a positive stance on the situation.

The 51 year old Aussie commented: "It's a good sign for us in some ways that we're producing quality players.

"All the young boys coaching, the 18's and the 20's, must have things in the right order because Rugby Union is coming to try and get some of our players."

Simmons was speaking to The Independent's Rugby League podcast PROBIZ Tryline, in which we also find out more about Simmons himself. We have a look at his career so far and his tough start to life at St Helens, including an emotional build up to the massive first game against Wigan at Magic Weekend.

As ever with PROBIZ Tryline, your team will also get plenty of airtime as we pack in all the recent news from Super League, while our very own Rugby League correspondent Dave Hadfield will give you the lowdown on the latest round of action as well and more of his views on the Kyle Eastmond situation.

The programme is available to listen to on The Independent website by clicking here, and is also available on iTunes.