I can't remember a pre-season like this one. Thanks to the snow, it has been a constant struggle for facilities and appropriate footwear. The weather really has put a stop to a large amount of our training schedule.

Thanks to the excellent facilities at the newly built Leigh Sports Village, we have managed to get some good quality training done, although I've only begun to feel my hands again.

Our first fixture this year is against Hull FC, a club that has recruited very well in the off-season. One signing that has caught the eye is that of Sean Long.

Long's influence was key to Saints recent successes

Sean is - and will always be - a legend at Saints. A true character who has led us through good and bad times, he was often the rudder of our team. Now he will be looking to lead Hull in the same manner.

People might think that because we played and trained with Sean, the Saints team will be able to anticipate his every move and snuff out any danger he poses.

But that's the problem. We know just how he operates and have learned to expect the unexpected.

I couldn't tell you what Sean is thinking or is about to do in a game. He has many dimensions to his play and, short of parachuting into a stadium, I have seen him do everything on a rugby field.

It will be very strange playing against him and I'm sure it will be a great game to watch. No doubt, Sean will contribute to the entertainment in one way or another.

As one ship sails, another comes into dock. Twenty-year-old Kyle Eastmond is sure to be a star for years to come - assuming that salary cap restrictions don't mean he'll be playing 15 a-side rugby in France in a few years or leaving for the NRL.

He has all the tools to make special things happen for us this year. I wish him all the lucks and know he will build on his impressive finish to 2009. It could easily be his year, but I am biased.

At least we had one great conditioning session in our pre-season clearing 10 inches of snow off the pitch in an unsuccessful attempt to ensure Mike Bennett's testimonial game against Barrow went ahead.

Matt Gidley takes the award for most layers worn during training, proving it is possible to wear your entire training kit at once. He even fashioned his kit bag into a sleeping bag in between sessions.

On a more serious note, the weather in this country does hamper our pre-season. The lads from Australia, who have been able to train in warmer climes, are in better shape physically and better prepared in rugby terms as well.

The new GPS system which we wore during the Four Nations consistently showed us that we were taking impacts of 10 gs and upwards during a match

And if we're not in as good a shape as we could be, the chances of injury increase.

I may sound like a broken record, but our season is far too long and our bodies are taking far too much punishment as a result.

With all the money the game is investing in sports science to measure fatigue and injuries, I'm sure it won't be long before it emerges that us players are being run into the ground.

The new GPS system which we wore during the Four Nations - attached to a man bra under our shirts - consistently showed us that we were taking impacts of 10 gs and upwards during a match.

I did a bit of research and discovered that the gravity force of a car travelling at 100km/h that comes to a stop in 0.2 seconds is 14.2 gs. And we don't have airbags!

Combined with a period of competition that lasts up to 10 months, it's hardly surprising more players are getting injured.

As a sportsmen, you see many faces come and go - players, staff, mascots, tea ladies, stewards - but it's not too often that you say farewell to a stadium.

This is the last year at the ground formerly known as Knowsley Road. Now called the GPW Recruitment Stadium, the venue has been an integral part of the community and history of the town.

St Helens' Knowsley Road ground has seen better days

It has hosted many great players and matches - too many to list - but it will soon be time to say goodbye.

To be fair, the old thing is looking pretty jaded, but there are little things I will miss, like the cold showers, the 1970s gym, the endless corridors that go nowhere, the holes in the office windows, and the pitch that smells like a sewer when it's wet.

But then there are things I will look forward to when we move to our new stadium, like the power showers, Jacuzzi bath, plasma screens and a pitch that doesn't smell.

As for my fondest memory of Knowsley Road, that has to be the day in 2005 we beat Wigan 75-0 in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals. It was a crazy summer's day when the terraces were packed and the fans were as buoyant as ever.

Good luck to everyone and I hope all the fans enjoy 2010.

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