Saints v Castleford Tigers - Preview

It’s probably all on this. 

Saints welcome Castleford Tigers to town on Friday night (September 13) knowing that a win will probably see them sneak into the playoffs. Lose, and with a trip to the ever improving Leigh Leopards coming up in the final week of the regular season the red vee will almost certainly miss out. If they do it will be for the first time in the summer era. Some 29 seasons. 

The stakes are high for Cas too in 2024 but unfortunately that has nothing to do with winning rugby league matches. The Tigers have won only seven of their 25 league games to this point. They sit 10th out of 12 with only hapless Hull FC and London Broncos beneath them. But for them it is all about collecting the sport’s newest and tragically most important currency - IMG points. Their Super League fate rests on attendances, the validity of plans to improve the Mend-A-Hose Jungle and the installation of a brand new big screen.  Because you know…video replays are not causing any problems in the game right now.

Saints boss Paul Wellens has been able to make five changes to his 21-man squad as a clutch of big names come in. I say a clutch. What is the collective noun for underperforming, repeatedly injured stars? A disappointment? A squib? Regardless, back come Tommy Makinson from suspension as well as the often injured quartet of Lewis Dodd, Mark Percival, Daryl Clark and James Bell. They replace the banned Moses Mbye, the injured Harry Robertson, the departing Sam Royle and youngsters Jonny Vaughan and George Whitby. 

If experience counts for anything then Saints - despite the loss of Mbye - should be in a stronger position going into a game than they have been for months. Given the importance of the game that’s quite a boost following on from the unexpected return to action of Jack Welsby at Warrington last time out. 

Wellens revealed post match that the plan had been to keep Welsby at stand-off rather than fullback but the injury to Robertson scuppered that idea. It may be that Welsby - if he is deemed fit to start following his 46-minute reintroduction against the Wolves - will revert to the role he has occupied since Lachlan Coote left for Hull KR. 

Makinson should reclaim his familiar right wing spot in what looks like being his last home appearance for Saints before he joins Catalans Dragons for 2025 and 2026. Percival will likely partner the eccentric and deeply unpopular Waqa Blake in the centres leaving Wellens a straight choice between Jon Bennison and Tee Ritson on the left wing.  The alternatives to Blake are the equally unloved Ben Davies or the absolute forward and not a back that is Sione Mata’utia. 

The former Newcastle Knight has announced his intention to head back home to Australia at the end of this campaign for family reasons.  With that he’s also in line for his last ever home appearance for the club. He’s had four trophy laden seasons with Saints in which he has made 82 appearances and scored 17 tries. More importantly he has won two Super League Grand Finals and a World Club Challenge. It’s fair to say that in contrast to Blake - to pluck an example out of thin air - Mata’utia has been one of the more successful NRL imports of recent times.

If Dodd is fit he could partner Jonny Lomax in the halves again. It’s a combination which attracts plenty of understandable moans and groans from fans as Lomax ages and declines while Dodd tries not to pick up another disastrous injury which might kibosh his big move to South Sydney Rabbitohs. He’s another who could be bidding farewell to the home fans in this one. At his best he’s an exciting talent who could be set for a big future down under. But when was the last time you saw him at his best? He’s as likely to be Hull FC’s big signing for 2026 as he is to make it in the NRL. Perhaps more likely.

The addition of Clark against the club with whom he won the Man Of Steel in 2014 looks extremely helpful. However it is offset slightly by the loss of Mbye. His brush with the disciplinary decision makers should give Jake Burns another opportunity while the long time front row pairing of Alex Walmsley and Matty Lees remains intact thanks to some more of Mike Rush’s legendary legal manoeuvring. Lees had been handed a one-match ban for getting up close and personal with referee Chris Kendall at Warrington but that has been overturned on appeal.

With both Bell and Knowles available for the first time since the August 8 win over Salford Wellens has options in the back three. He could utilise Bell in the second row but some of his best work has been off the bench to spell Knowles at 13. Curtis Sironen is out but that still leaves Mata’utia to partner either Matt Whitley or Joe Batchelor in the second row. One of those two could be on the bench with Bell but Wellens also has Burns along with prop trio Agnatius Paasi, George Delaney and Noah Stephens. On paper Saints look to have significantly more depth than in recent weeks.

Tigers coach Craig Lingard must do without one of his star men in fullback Tex Hoy. Liam Horne - sent off along with Makinson when Saints scored 52 points in the second half of a 60-4 win in West Yorkshire in May - returns from suspension. Cain Robb misses out as does centre Corey Hall on loan from Hull KR. Academy graduates Akim Matvejev and Alfie Horwell are included in the Tigers 21 for the first time. 

With Hoy out Luke Hooley may get an opportunity at fullback. There is pace out wide in the backs in the shape of Innes Senior and Jason Qareqare but Alex Mellor may have to fill in at centre. Lingard has already confirmed that Matvejev will make his debut and so he could be the one to partner Mellor. Jenson Windley made his debut in the halves against Warrington recently and having featured against Hull FC and Leigh since then should compete for minutes again though both Rowan Milnes and Jacob Miller are available. 

If he is included in the 17 it will be the last time you will see another former Man Of Steel in Castleford history playing in St Helens. Paul McShane gets set to retire at the end of the campaign but with Horne back and Horwell also a hooker by trade it is not certain that the veteran will see any action. Two other veterans lead the pack in Joe Westerman and Liam Watts with Muizz Mustapha and Georges Hill and Lawler likely to be involved too. A third George would be quite something but unfortunately Griffin misses out. 

This is the third meeting between the two this year with the away side victorious on each occasion. That second half at Castleford was Saints at their most ruthless but the Tigers gained revenge by pulling off an 8-6 upset in early July. If Saints miss the playoffs - which will probably involve losing at home again to Lingard’s men - then they know where to look for the results which cost them the most. 

Thankfully I don’t see it. With the cavalry summoned from the treatment table by Wellens and with the Tigers having very little on-field motivation a third away win in this fixture feels unlikely. It might not be pretty but expect Saints to limp into the playoffs and just about preserve a proud record that only they hold.

The last word should be for Makinson. His 203 tries in 333 appearances for the club is impressive enough. He has also kicked 280 goals and won the 2018 Golden Boot as the international game’s best performer. But perhaps it is the hard yards he has made on kick returns and early in tackle counts which have been so crucial to Saints’ success in recent years that mark him out as being at least in the conversation about all time great Saints wingers. 

Squads;

St Helens;

1 Jack Welsby, 2 Tommy Makinson, 3 Waqa Blake, 4 Mark Percival, 5 Jon Bennison, 6 Jonny Lomax, 7 Lewis Dodd, 8 Alex Walmsley, 9 Daryl Clark, 10 Matty Lees, 11 Sione Mata’utia, 12 Joe Batchelor, 13 Morgan Knowles, 15 James Bell, 17 Agnatius Paasi, 19 Matt Whitley, 20 George Delaney, 21 Ben Davies, 24 Jake Burns, 25 Tee Ritson, 31 Noah Stephens.

Castleford Tigers;

1 Luke Hooley, 5 Innes Senior, 7 Jacob Miller, 8 Liam Watts, 9 Paul McShane, 10 George Lawler, 11 Elie El-Zakhem, 12 Alex Mellor, 13 Joe Westerman, 14 Liam Horne, 16 Rowan Milnes, 17 Nixon Putt, 20 Muizz Mustapha, 23 Jason Qareqare, 25 Brad Martin, 29 George Hill, 31 Fletcher Rooney, 32 Daniel Hindmarsh, 38 Jenson Windley, – Akim Matvejev, – Alfie Horwell.

Referee: Jack Smith

Video Referee: James Vella

Warrington Wolves 16 Saints 2 - Review

When we look back at the shock results of the 2024 Super League season Saints’ 16-2 defeat at Warrington on Saturday afternoon (September 7) is unlikely to be among them. 

Paul Wellens’ side produced an attacking performance for which the word insipid is barely adequate. It was their 11th loss in 25 league outings so far. With just two games remaining their proud record of having never missed a playoff series in the summer era is in real danger. 

Meanwhile Warrington’s win keeps their hopes of a top two finish alive. They now sit third, two points behind second placed Hull KR with matches against two whipping boys in Huddersfield and London to finish the campaign. Rovers face a tricky test against form horse Leigh this weekend before meeting Leeds Rhinos at home on the final weekend. The Robins may just let the Wolves in the door.

Wellens did not see his debilitating injury list improve much ahead of this one but was able to make one fairly surprising and exciting change to his 17. Still without the injured Konrad Hurrell, Mark Percival, Lewis Dodd, Daryl Clark, Curtis Sironen and James Bell as well as the suspended Tommy Makinson Wellens brought Jack Welsby back into the action. Saints’ star man began the game on the bench with the plan being to manage his minutes and utilise him at stand-off rather than at fullback. Otherwise it was as you were for the win at Huddersfield last week. Noah Stephens was the unfortunate one to miss out to accommodate Welsby.

Warrington were still without their own fullback star in Matt Dufty. The emerging talent of Cai Taylor-Wray deputised while prop Paul Vaughan started a three game ban for his contentious red card in the loss to Leigh a week previously. Former Wigan youngster Matty Nicholson - soon to be of Canberra Raiders - replaced Vaughan in the only change to Head Coach Sam Burgess’ 17.

So, significance and team news out of the way we’re changing tack. I know, who changes tack in the third to last game of the season? Not Wellens if tactics employed in this game are anything to go by. In this case I’m referring to the structure of this article. Many of this year’s efforts have run to over 3,000 words. There isn’t an editor of a publication in the known world who would entertain publishing something of that length. So we’re going to try to stick to the main points with less excruciating detail. After all, we’ve all suffered enough.

On that note let’s start with the subject of the team’s effort level. Any time a professional sports team suffers a damaging defeat it’s fans go straight to accusations of a lack of effort. Social media becomes awash with posts which start with the phrase ‘I don’t mind losing but…’. But the thing is they do mind losing. They mind it very much. So much in fact that they use the go to explanation of a lack of effort to protect themselves from the idea that their team might just be shit. At the moment - whether you put it down to injuries or coaching or both - this Saints team is just a bit shit. 

Wellens was at the other end of the spectrum on the subject of effort. In his post match presser he declared that he ‘loved’ some of the things his side did and added that he could not fault their commitment. He cited Welsby’s late try saver on Matty Ashton as an example. And not unreasonably. It was a tremendous effort from Welsby at a time when the game was as good as gone. 

But if Saints are putting in so much effort how does he explain Waqa Blake passing the ball forward straight from a tapped penalty? When Saints had some rare field position too. There were other moments we’ll get to later. I’m not suggesting they weren’t trying but nor was I delighted by their application. The truth is surely somewhere in the middle. But I’d venture that claiming that you ‘love’ what your team did in a 16-2 loss to a major rival is poor messaging from the man at the wheel.

One man who appears to be trying but getting worse the more he does so is Alex Walmsley. He was very recently the best prop in Super League by some distance. Yet currently the ex-Batley man appears to be struggling to cope with a mixture of some serious injuries added to the fact that he turned 34 in April. I’m not the only fan who has questioned the wisdom of brandishing a two-year contract under his nose. Even the greats don’t last forever. 

Walmsley has built his reputation on his incredible ability to make metres and get the team down the field. Yet in this one he only managed 49 metres on 10 carries. He is still averaging over 100 metres per game but only 86 in his last four. Defensively he’s at around 17 tackles per game and didn’t miss one in this clash. 

He has only made 11 errors though it may feel like more when they occur in Saints territory. That’s just one per game but the one he made in this one led to Matty Ashton picking up possession and running through a disorganised Saints team to score. By the way, it was exactly the sort of try that Saints could never score in 2024 because they simply lack the explosive pace required to pull it off.

Of course it’s a team game so this is by no means all on Walmsley. Saints next biggest flaw - after their slow and predictable attack and their sentimentality to ageing stars - is their discipline. Matty Lees was yellow carded at a time when Saints had just been given a numerical advantage of their own with the sin-binning of Wire forward Lachlan Fitzgibbon. Lees’ late hit on Josh Drinkwater wasn’t the most violent challenge you’ve ever seen but it was an egregious waste of Saints’ opportunity against 12 men. Not that they were particularly adept at taking advantage of that when they last played Warrington in July. 

We didn’t know it then but Lees was already in trouble. He made contact with referee Chris Kendall while running in to remonstrate with Zane Musgrove after he had hit Morgan Knowles high. The incident led to Saints’ only points of the day from the boot of Jon Bennison. Lees was subsequently handed a one match ban which has since been overturned on appeal. Mike Rush and his legal team showing that they’ve still got it. 

Fitzgibbon’s card rekindled the hardly doused debate on play acting and the role of the video referee in non-try scoring incidents. Ritson stayed down after the head contact and was subsequently examined on the field for a possible concussion. He did not have to leave the field for an HIA. That has led some to suggest that there was no need for him to stay down and that he did so purely to give the video referee time to examine the incident and find a reason to issue a yellow card. 

There’s no way to know whether Ritson was employing cynical tactics but it’s a safe bet that many players have been this season. This is rightly frowned upon by fans but what is less in focus in this debate is whether or not we need the video referee to get involved. Are we not re-refereeing the game according to the reaction of a fouled player? If an injury is genuine it doesn’t necessarily follow that the challenge deserves a yellow or even a red card.

Conversely, plenty of card-worthy acts get glossed over if the fouled player gets straight up and plays the ball. There was one in this game when Knowles caught Roderick Tai in the face with a forearm. He probably didn’t mean to do it but as we have learned lack of intent doesn’t get you a reprieve from 10-minute sit down. Or something worse. He wasn’t carded simply and only because Tai did not stay down so there wasn’t time for a review. The referee missed it and we all accepted it. Remember those days?

Confusing us all further is the decision to ban Moses Mbye for one match for late contact on Taylor-Wray. It was a very similar offence to the one by Lees on Drinkwater which earned the Saints man a yellow card but not a ban. Remember Lees was initially suspended for the contact with Kendall and not the late hit. Meanwhile Mbye’s late hit comes with a ban even though Kendall didn’t produce a card for it. Can anyone make that work logically?

Still, as random and scattergun as the disciplinary verdicts can be there is responsibility on the players. Whether you think the offences committed by Lees and Mbye are worthy of yellow cards and bans or not, the players know that these sanctions are ubiquitous in this era of fear of litigation. They need to be much better and they are not alone. Joe Batchelor and Waqa Blake gave away crazy penalties for obstruction. If you can’t display better discipline than Saints have in 2024 then you don’t really give yourself a chance.

Most of you won’t be surprised to know that Blake’s tribute to 2017’s Ryan Morgan wasn’t the Fijian’s only brain fart. With Saints given some much needed second half field position in the shape of a penalty on the Warrington 40 metre line the ex-Parramatta man managed to tap the ball alright but then couldn’t avoid passing it forward to Mbye. It was unforgivable to be quite honest. There is only what Wilf Self once described as an anorexic cigarette paper between this and Blake’s bonkers failure to score with the line open at Leigh. It’s fair to say he hasn’t been a roaring success since his arrival.

Throw in Batchelor’s obstruction, Matt Whitley’s outrageously early pass to Sione Mata’utia when he could have drawn the last defender (Mata’utia dropped the pass anyway) and Walmsley allowing himself to get tackled standing upright on the last play on an early attacking foray and it becomes clear that the red vee are playing with empty heads at crucial times. Nous is as important as effort. 

To add to the downbeat mood Saints today announced losses for the past year that are three times what they were 12 months ago. Chairman Eamonn McManus has made a statement which points towards covid loans and the reduction in the TV deal as key reasons. However he maintained that Saints will still spend up to the salary cap - including marquee players - while looking for other ways to cut costs. 

I’m sure that on the face of it there’ll be relief that the boss man has reiterated that staying competitive is the priority.  But I don’t know how comfortable I am with celebrating another Grand Final win - if and when the time comes again - if it means that staff in the club shop, the ticket office or the hospitality are asked to go and find themselves another job. 

Of course, we live in an era in which fans will turn a blind eye to the activity of nation states with abysmal human rights records if it means another trophy appears on the mantle piece. I don’t expect too many to share my concerns if our NRL signings for next year are running around Old Trafford with the Super League trophy at some point before they head back home. 

There is still a stats bit. Just to tell you that Saints’ top metre maker was Knowles with 137 and that young hooker Jake Burns their top tackler with 51. For Wire Ashton racked up 165 metres while Luke Yates made 40 tackles. 

Despite this loss Saints still have a realistic shot of making the playoffs. Their points difference advantage over Catalans Dragons should mean that one more win from their final two games is enough. The next opportunity is this weekend at home to a Castleford Tigers side forced by IMG to care more about attendances and building a new ground than actual rugby league results. But that didn’t stop them from winning 8-6 at Saints in July. It’s not a gimme.

The more encouraging news is that Makinson will be free from suspension and there is a chance that Clark and Dodd will be available. And after playing 46 minutes in this one perhaps Welsby can increase his workload at the most vital time. Unfortunately Harry Robertson was withdrawn with a knee injury and must be a doubt while Wellens has admitted that Sironen will not be available until the first week of the playoffs.

You get the feeling that Saints will have to beat Castleford to be involved. If they don’t then they will be left needing to beat an in-form Leigh side who thrashed them 46-4 on their last visit to the Sports Village. 

It looks like knockout football has come early for Saints.

Warrington Wolves: Taylor-Wray, Thewlis, King, Tai, Ashton, Williams, Drinkwater, Yates, Powell, Musgrove, Bateman, Fitzgibbon, Currie. Interchanges: Walker, Philbin, Nicholson, Crowther

Saints: Robertson, Ritson, Blake, Mata’utia, Bennison, Lomax, Mbye, Walmsley, Burns, Lees, Whitley, Batchelor, Knowles. Interchanges: Welsby, Paasi, Delaney, Vaughan 

Warrington Wolves v Saints - Preview

It’s a pretty daunting task which awaits injury ravaged, out of form Saints as they go to the Halliwell Jones Stadium to face Warrington on Saturday afternoon (September 7, kick-off 3.00pm).

The red vee earned a potentially vital 18-10 win at Huddersfield last time out, a result which may yet be critical if they are to avoid missing out on the playoffs for the first time in Super League history.  With three games left it looks like they will need to finish above at least one of Salford Red Devils, Catalans Dragons or Leigh Leopards if they are going to sneak in.  

Salford and Catalans meet this weekend, so a win at Warrington with Castleford at home to follow next week could be enough for Paul Wellens' men due to their superior points difference over the other three realistic contenders. With Wigan and Hull KR to play in their final two games I’m all but ruling out Leeds despite their 68-6 pummelling of Hull FC tonight (September 6).

How likely is a win for Saints over Warrington?  In truth, not very.  Sam Burgess' Wolves have been a far more consistent outfit this season and have already handed Saints two defeats.  Both of those were on St Helens soil, a place where until very recently Warrington’s inability to win was one of sport’s best running jokes. 

The first of those Wolves wins came in the Challenge Cup quarter-final in April and was a particularly chastening experience for Saints who went down 31-8.  They were unable to cope with the pace out wide of Burgess' side and that was with a relatively full strength side.  They are not any better equipped now. When Wire came back to town in July they left with a 24-10 win despite having James Harrison red carded and Matty Nicholson sent to the sin bin.

If the Wolves can win this one at home it will guarantee them a top three spot and keep them in the hunt for the top two given that present incumbents Hull KR and Wigan also clashed this weekend. One of them had to lose (probably) and in the event it was Wigan who came out on top, showing Saints how to capitalise on a numerical advantage as the Robins’ discipline left town. For Warrington League Leaders Shield hopes look to have slipped away but hopes of a home semi final and a Grand Final appearance remain high.  

Wellens has made just the one change to his 21-man squad but taken at face value it is a pretty exciting one.  Jack Welsby has been out with a hamstring injury since the 46-4 clubbing Saints took at Leigh in July.  It had been feared that he would not be fit to make a comeback until that next meeting with the Leopards on the final weekend of the regular season.  There have to be doubts about how fit he is given that his inclusion is something of a surprise.  He's a match winner but even he might struggle to direct this one in Saints favour given that Tommy Makinson is suspended and all of,Konrad Hurrell, Mark Percival, Lewis Dodd, Daryl Clark , Curtis Sironen and James Bell are still out injured. There is an argument to suggest that it is not worth the risk in a game that is pretty close to unwinnable.  

it's entirely possible that Welsby - who comes in for Leon Cowen - has been included simply to put doubt in Warrington minds.  Or maybe it is just Wellens' way of throwing Saints fans a bone at a miserable time.  All the good news we have had - the signings of Tristan Sailor, Kyle Feldt, Lewis Murphy and the homecoming of sought after coaching talent Lee Briers - has been for 2025 and beyond. Desperate for something to cheer now, what better than the prospect of the return of one of the league's best players?  And including him now - even if we don't believe he is fit enough - does suggest that he will be at full tilt for the playoffs should Saints get in.  The first playoff game is still three weeks away, plenty of time for that suspect hamstring to finish its recovery.  

Some have suggested that Harry Robertson needs a rest after a promising breakthrough season.  In a time of dire necessity Wellens has looked to youngsters like Robertson and they haven't let him down.  However, there are still too many errors in Robertson's game for him to be relied upon consistently.  Chances are he will have to continue at fullback behind the wing pairing of the restored Jon Bennison and Tee Ritson.  Ben Davies was surprisingly left out of the side last week so Waqa Blake could again be partnered by Sione Mata'utia in the centres.  Dodd's continued absence leaves a likely halfback partnership of Jonny Lomax and Moses Mbye but George Whitby - who made his debut in the 46-6 defeat by Hull KR a fortnight ago - is in the squad and could yet be offered another opportunity.

Despite the absences of Bell and Clark the pack is looking in slightly better health.  Alex Walmsley didn't have his finest 80 minutes in a Saints shirt last week but if he can cut out the errors which plagued that performance he is still a destructive ball carrier likely to top the list of metre makers on any given day.  Matty Lees is a solid presence alongside him and was recently trusted by Wellens to the extent that he was given the captaincy during the suspension of Lomax.  Those two should push George Delaney to the bench where there is now some depth at prop with Agnatius Passi and Noah Stephens also included.  

Jake Burns started at hooker last week and will again if Wellens decides to keep Mbye alongside Lomax rather than reintroduce Whitby.  With Sironen still out and with Mata'utia possibly required in the centres Matt Whitley and Joe Batchelor look the likely second row combination with Morgan Knowles behind them at 13.  Assuming all of Delaney, Paasi and Stephens make the bench then the final spot on the pine could be taken by the versatile Jonny Vaughan.  Having played much of his first team rugby at centre he did a stint at hooker last time out and can also operate in the second row.  Sam Royle is another back rower who will be hopeful of a place on the bench.

Warrington’s Vaughan - prop forward Paul - earned a red card against Leigh last week which was one of the most talked about of the season. The shoulder which made contact with the head of Owen Trout earned Vaughan a three-game ban which will see him miss out until the first round of the playoffs. 

Perhaps the biggest loss to the attack is fullback Matt Dufty. The former St George-Illawarra Dragon has had surgery on a knee problem but still hopes to make it back for the knockout games. In his absence Cai Taylor-Wray has proven that he is an emerging talent with a promising future. 

Taylor-Wray operates behind a wing pairing of Josh Thewlis and England squad member Matty Ashton with Roderick Tai and Toby King likely to be the starting centres. England skipper George Williams forms the halfback pairing with Josh Drinkwater with another new star for 2024 ruled out for the season in Leon Hayes. The youngster was keeping Drinkwater out of the team until an ankle injury in a defeat to Salford in April halted his progress. 

Along with Paul Vaughan the Warrington pack will be missing the services of Harrison. The 28 year-old son of former Great Britain - remember them? - forward Karl Harrison is dealing with a leg injury. Luke Yates’ early arrival from Huddersfield has been a boost for Wire and he could start at one of the prop positions with Joe Philbin and Zane Musgrove ready to step into the void left by Vaughan. 

Danny Walker is one of six Warrington players called up to the England squad by Head Coach and Danger Mouse nemesis Shaun Wane this week. He should be the starting nine and will be spelled by former Wigan man Sam Powell. Another ex-Wigan and England star John Bateman - who also enjoyed spells in the NRL with Canberra Raiders and Wests Tigers - is part of a strong back three that also includes Lachlan Fitzgibbon and Ben Currie. Jordy Crowther and Nicholson are among those looking to play long minutes in those positions.

Although the pair have met twice already this year this is only the second league meeting and the first in Warrington. In that 24-10 league defeat Wire were still able to hold Saints at arms length despite those cards shown to Harrison and Nicholson. Saints’ attempts to break down an outnumbered Wire defence bordered on the comical just north of the absolutely tragic. If Burgess’ side can keep their discipline it probably won’t be that close this time around. 

Which could leave Saints in something of a pickle. Leigh’s win at Castleford tonight (September 6) means that a Leopards victory in that final week showdown will guarantee that Adrian Lam’s side finish above Saints and land in the playoffs. 

Unless Saints can spring a surprise in this one against the Wolves. 

Unlikely.

Squads;

Warrington Wolves; 2. Josh Thewlis 3. Toby King 5. Matty Ashton 6. George Williams 7. Josh Drinkwater 9. Danny Walker 11. Ben Currie 12. Lachlan Fitzgibbon 13. Matty Nicholson 14. Roderick Tai 15. Joe Philbin 16. Zane Musgrove 17. Jordy Crowther 28. Adam Holroyd 29. Tom Whitehead 32. Sam Powell 33. Aaron Lindop 34. Max Wood 38. Cai Taylor-Wray 42. John Bateman 

Referee: Chris Kendall

Video Referee: Marcus Griffiths