Craig forced himself into first-team contention this time last year thanks to the international break and Calum Clark's suspension, and never looked back for the remainder of the campaign.
But his hopes of picking up where he left off this summer were derailed when he tore his MCL in pre-season, before a shoulder injury further delayed his comeback - with his 15-minute cameo during last weekend's 27-6 LV= Cup win over Gloucester last weekend his first action of the campaign.
And with the Saints just needing to beat Exeter Chiefs to make the LV= Cup semi-finals, and on the cusp of the Aviva Premiership play-offs, Craig is determined to mark his comeback with some silverware for the Saints.
"It was obviously frustrating to get injured because I thought I'd done well at the end of the season and deserved a chance this year," he said.
"I thought I'd shown people what I could do and that I had a chance, but injury changed all that and it was a big blow.
"I felt in good shape before the injury so it was hugely disappointing to be ruled out.
"There's a good morale in the team and it's a great squad to come back to.
"We got so close to silverware last season and I think we all realised it's all well and good reaching semi-finals in the league, but your career doesn't last forever and you need to take those chances when they come.
"After that experience last year we are all motivated to go one better and we certainly feel we've got the team to do that."
And though the imminent Six Nations has left Saints - and many of their Aviva Premiership rivals - depleted of some first-team stars, Craig is confident they can replicate last season's successful bid for a top-four finish.
"We've got a team of leaders here and it's a great environment to be part of," added Craig.
"The boys here are focused on what we want to achieve and for a lot of guys the LV= Cup is a huge opportunity.
"There are guys like Christian Day coming back into the side as well so we are not too worried about the internationals - it's great for those guys but we have to be focused on the job here at Saints."
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