KEIRON Cunningham's decision to follow his heart and reject the temptation of a king's ransom from Swansea Rugby Union to switch codes and turn his back on Saints, is a massive shot in the arm for the club, the sport and the town.

Thousands of Saints fans breathed a collective sigh of relief on Tuesday when Keiron ended months of speculation and signed an extended contract which keeps him at the club until the end of 2005.

In staying, Keiron has put one in the eye of those national newspapers who fully expected him to be dazzled by the allure of the big money and switch codes.

The 24-year-old Great Britain hooker admitted at one stage it had been 50/50 on whether to go, but said: "I have taken a lot of advice but one big thing that stuck was someone telling me to follow my heart. That is what I have done - I love playing for Saints and love playing rugby league. I have made my decision and I am not going to regret it."