Jarrod Sammut (photo) insists he will not change his all action style this upcoming season with Crusaders.

The talented half-back, 23, has now linked up with the rest of the Crusaders squad for pre-season training as the team prepares for the new Super League season.

Iestyn Harris’ men will kick-off their campaign against Salford City Reds at the Millennium Magic weekend in Cardiff on Sunday 13 February 2011.

Despite the team beginning the new campaign on -4 points, there is a new optimism surrounding the club as they look to come out of administration.

Maltese international Sammut announced his arrival on the Super League stage with an inspirational display against Bradford Bulls back in May.

His sometimes off the cuff and exciting style of play, as well as his flamboyant look has made him a fan favourite at the Racecourse Ground.

And he insists it will be business as usual this season.

“I have always played like that and that is never going to change,” Sammut said.

“I am a big believer in being yourself and sticking and that principle applies to the way I play as well.

“I encourage other players to be themselves as well. I’m enjoying my rugby, the club and coaching staff showed a lot of confidence in me last year and allowed me to play the way I love to play.”

Sammut arrived mid-way through last season and adapted quickly to Super League following his switch from NRL side Penrith Panthers.

And while he settled in well, he admits that it took him a while to gel with his fellow Crusaders and adapt to their style.

He said: “It will be good to get a pre-season under my belt with the rest of the guys. It can disturb the team and even your own performance when you arrive mid-season and haven’t been there from the beginning.

“You have to start things from scratch when the rest of the team are in their stride and it can make things a little bit difficult. But having a good pre-season with the rest of the boys will make things a lot easier this year. I cannot wait to for the season to start.

“We definitely have the team and the players to go further. Everything is in place but I think a lot of things depend on how well the team gels on game day. You can have a great bunch of players but if they don’t gel on game day, you don’t put he points on the board.

“We were a bit inconsistent on that front at certain points last year but you could see towards the end of the year that we were a team and we were working hard for each other.

“We had to dig deep last year. We managed to put things together and sneak into the top eight. That was a credit to all the coaching staff and players and we want to build on that. If we don’t reach the top eight again I know all the boys will be disappointed. We set ourselves a standard last season and we are prepared to work hard to attain and better those standards this season.

Sammut and fellow half-back Michael Witt both missed part of last season through injury. Witt’s debut Super League season as brought to a premature due to a knee injury; meaning the two only played a handful of games together.

And Sammut believes he and Witt have the makings of a successful half-back partnership.

He added: “It would be nice for us to cement those positions and build up a solid partnership for the season.

Injuries happen and it was unfortunate that we didn’t get an extended run together in the team. We had a couple of knocks at key stages of last season but every team goes through the same thing.

“Fingers crossed we can stay injury free this season and we can do everything possible to stay on that field next year and have a good season.”