Fairfax Media reported in November that Fisher's behaviour had become a major issue, although the Saints denied knowledge of any serious problems.

Watters said Fisher, arguably the club's most important player, had been "quite stunned" by the report and had responded by training well during the Colorado training camp and back at the Saints' home in Seaford.

"There was no doubt he was pretty upset with some of the comments, which he believes were completely unfounded."

Watters said the Saints had enjoyed a prosperous pre-season, although youngster Daniel Markworth is likely to miss most of the year after a knee reconstruction.

"We are really pleased where we sit from a health perspective. We have a couple of senior players who have been on modified programs, Sam Fisher, Sean Dempster and Stephen Milne who are now just coming back into full training, but outside of those guys we have been pretty fortunate," Watters said on SEN.

Defender Jason Gram has been axed after failing to comply with conditions concerning his behaviour after the breakdown of a personal relationship.