St Helens hooker Kieron Cunningham is backing the club's current academy graduates to emulate the success of the Saints' team of the late 1990s.

"We have played plenty of games this year with a lot of young kids," Cunningham told BBC Radio Merseyside.

"It is like 1996 all over again. There is a lot of young local talent coming through."

In 1996 Saints won the Super League and Challenge Cup to kick-off a period of sustained success for the club.