Laffranchi set for Saints

Laffranchi: Has agreed a two-year deal with St Helens

Gold Cold Titans back-row Anthony Laffranchi has announced he has agreed a two-year deal to join St Helens.

The 30-year-old Australia international will complete his move in the off-season – with his arrival going someway to offset the loss of Saints prop James Graham to the Bulldogs.

Laffranchi has previously played for Wests Tigers, winning the NRL Premiership title in 2005, while he has been capped by New South Wales in the Origin Series.

However Laffranchi, who can also play in the second row, is now looking forward to a new challenge at the Saints.

Loss

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity of taking my young family over to the UK in the short-term, but I’m really looking forward to the long-term prospect of coming back and working for this great club that hopefully I helped build up over the last few years,” Laffranchi told AAP.

“I always said coming through when I first started playing NRL that I’d like to give back to the game what I get out of it, so I think being a local junior from the area, I can definitely relate to some of the kids coming through the system.”

Titans coach John Cartwright admitted the departure of Laffranchi, known as Boof, would be a blow for the club.

“It is a big loss,” said Cartwright. “We’ve been talking to Boof about this for a while and had some lengthy heart-to-hearts on it.

“I was in a very similar situation myself as a player and a lot of things come into it.”