Andrew John Platt by Dave Dooley: Andy Platt in his time at the Saints was a fast, elusive player renowned for his excellent line breaks, super offloads, reliable support player and solid tackler. In other words he seemed a perfect player for the Saints' style of play and he was! Andy was signed from the St Partick's ARL club in June 1982 and made his debut as a substitute in the 19 all draw at Hilton Park on the 22nd of August 1982. Within a month he had scored his first try for the club away at Barrow in a 19 points to 12 defeat. When Andy joined the club, Saints were very much in a transitional period with a host of young junior talent and some experienced stalwarts in the twilight of their careers. In his first full season (1982/83) Andy crossed the line on 6 occasions. This haul included a brace of touchdowns in the 40 points to 16 defeat of Carlisle. By the end of the campaign his potential to be one of the all-time greats was evident and his future in the first team was secure.
Andy operated in the second row in his first two seasons. In the 1983/4 campaign his versatility was shown in the tight home match against Bradford Northern when a cheeky drop goal by Andy helped secure a 29 points to 14 victory. His 10 tries that season included a brace in the away fixture at Whitehaven. However, it was the Meninga season of 1984/5 that would really establish Andy as a 'class act' and one of the future starts of the British game.
The signing of Mal Meninga and Phil Veivers sent a tsunami of optimism through the town and filled the team with confidence for the 1984/5 campaign. Under the astute direction of coach Billy Benyon, Andy and the Saints mounted their assault on the game's prizes. Meninga's presence inspired great confidence in the team and Andy enjoyed his best ever season with the Saints. His first honour with the first team came in the momentous Lancashire Cup Final when a sparkling team performance defeated the old foe in their own backyard. In a season which saw Saints score 1267 points in all matches, Andy netted 19 tries with some sizzling finishes characteristic of his exemplary back up play which included a fantastic four try haul against the Wire and a hat trick against Hunslet. The final game of that famous campaign was the Premiership Final against Hull KR. In this game Andy's smart play helped Saints gain the upper hand in a wonderful game of open attacking play which Saints eventually won by a record 36 points to 16. Andy's sensational form paved the way for his international debut for Great Britain in 1985. In all Andy made seven appearances for Great Britain in his time at the Saints and won a further singleton cap for Lancashire.
The following season was very much an "after the Lord Meninga's Show" affair. Some inconsistent form eventually triggered the departure of the popular Billy Benyon as coach and heralded the arrival of Alex Murphy as the new coach. Maters did not improve greatly as Saints suffered a six match losing streak in the New Year of 1986 before finishing the campaign with 13 straight league victories. Andy's return in this turbulent campaign was 10 tries with a brace against Salford. Indeed Andy yet again demonstrated his prowess by turning out as prop in nine of the last ten matches of this campaign.
Although the club continued its winning streak in the league up to Boxing Day and played some lovely football the trophy cabinet remained empty as the old foe seemed to buy up every big name going and kick-start their dominance of the British game for the next decade. The agony of the 1987 Challenge Cup Final against Halifax was deeply felt as the chance of a Wembley success slipped away from the grasp of Andy and the rest of his contemporaries. An eleven try seasonal haul including a brace against Featherstone Rovers was evidence of Andy's importance to the team.
Andy's final season with the Saints in the 1987/8 was one of his finest as he made the move to loose forward and made the number 13 jersey his own. He was inspirational in the 15 points to 14 victory over Leeds in the 1988 John Player Cup Final at Central Park with incisive runs, superb backing up and a tremendous defensive display. The campaign brought him 12 tries and braces against Leeds, Hull and Swinton. Andy also kicked his solitary goal for the club in the narrow 14 points to 12 loss to Halifax at Thrum Hall.
Andy was an automatic choice for the 1988 British Lions Tour down under. It was on this tour that Andy was lured to Wigan. This move was instrumental in maintaining Wigan's dominance in the game and a savage blow to the Knowsley Road diehards. Platty was somewhat transformed from a nippy back row forward to a hard grafting, direct front rower and gained multiple honours with Wigan before trying his hand with the Auckland Warriors in the twilight of his career. Notwithstanding, Saints' fans will always remember Andy as a truly great footballing forward.
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