The forward missed the entirety of the 2016 premier league competition after injuring his shoulder in a pre-season game.

With a year of rest and recovery behind him, Bell will be gunning for a starting spot in the premier league side, who are out to notch up another appearance in the finals series.

“It was pretty hard watching on last year. When you do all that work in pre-season just to do your shoulder in your first game back it’s tough,” Bell said.

“But I feel that coming back I’ve learnt a lot about myself and I feel mentally stronger than before.

“I’ve done a lot of hard work over this off-season and I feel like I’m back to where I was about two years ago. I’m really keen to get back into it again this year.

“Over this summer I’ve been playing cricket, and bowling feels like my shoulder’s back to 100 per cent.”

Saints premier league coach Kurt Hancock said the return of Bell from injury and the arrival of Corey Averio from Villages will prop up the Pat’s forward pack.

”He’s been looking after his shoulder in his year off and he’s looking super fit,” he said.

“Over the last couple of years that right edge, back row spot has been a position we’ve struggled with but Belly and Corey Averio can help fill that.

“They’re both two characters as well. Belly’s always got something up his sleeve and he’s great to be around. That’s a really great thing for team camaraderie.

“Having them back gives us a lot of depth in the forwards, which is something we didn’t have a lot of last year.”

Explosive winger Adam Morton had a rough 2016 season due to a broken wrist but he too will be back in the Saints ranks this year.

“He’s got a lot of power on the edge. We might even give him a run in the centres during our trial games,” Hancock said.