Finishing runners up to the Tamworth Kangaroos last season seems to have triggered a great response from the players who have been keen to train hard early with the motivation to go all the way this year.

Saints media officer Gerry Taveira said the full training regime started last week with the players working on their fitness and ball drills in preparation for the season.

The 2012 campaign will kick off for the Saints when they travel to play the Tamworth Swans on April 21 in round 2, following a bye in the opening round.

Training sessions are being held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the sporting complex, under new coach Jason Gobbert, who seems to be getting a lot out of his players already.

“Everything is starting to flow pretty smoothly,” Taveira said.

“We’re happy with the response so far.”

“There’s a lot of good players, young kids and a few new faces, plus the bulk of the guys from last season have returned.”

Another big positive for the Saints is the number of players they’ve had at training, which is the highest since they entered the competition in 2005.

This was reflected with a successful sign-on day last weekend, with all the players who have been attending training sessions confirming they will play this season.

“We’ve had close to 30 guys showing up to training which is really impressive for this time of the year,” Taveira said.

“It’s one of the more promising starts since we entered the competition in 2005.”

“It’s very encouraging and we’re really looking forward to the season.”

In a further boost for the Saints, the majority of players are fit and ready to fire and injured players Mick Viney and Tom Williams are doing well on the comeback trail and are expected to be fit, if not in time for the start of the season, then early on in the piece.

The Saints are also hoping to field an under 15s side and are calling on younger players to help fill the side, who are expected to play in a six team competition and should follow seniors in the draw.

An official season launch with sponsors will be held in March, with a date still to be determined.