5 Talking Points From Wakefield Trinity 16 Saints 36

Through The Storm

Hopes were not high that Saints could avoid a third straight defeat in all competitions when they travelled to Wakefield. The pack had been battered and bruised in successive losses to Catalans Dragons in the Challenge Cup and Huddersfield Giants in the first Super 8s assignment, and with Luke Thompson suspended most observers of a red vee persuasion, including this writer, thought things might get worse before they got better.

How wrong we were. Saints responded and in particular the pack stood up to a Trinity group featuring the twin giants David Fifita and Pauli Pauli. Even without Thompson Saints dominated, especially in a first half which saw two Tommy Makinson tries and one from Jonny Lomax give Justin Holbrook’s side a cosy-looking 16-0 half-time lead. It looked less cosy shortly after half-time when tries from Kyle Wood and Bill Tupou narrowed the deficit to just four points at 16-12, but a sprinkling of magic from Zeb Taia allowed Mark Percival to send Theo Fages in before a Luke Douglas try and a solo effort from Regan Grace sealed the win.

It wasn’t the most free-flowing performance. Three of Saints tries, including Grace’s winding run to the line, came as a direct result of Danny Richardson kicks. It’s not quite back to the five-drives and a kick, build-pressure, stay in The Grind mantra of the previous coach but neither is it the exhilarating style that was on show earlier in the season. Yet it’s a win that means that Saints have now won on every away ground in Super League and which more importantly cements their eight-point lead at the top of the table.

It’s Just A Matter Of Time

On which subject, Saints can now seal the League Leaders Shield with victory over Wigan in their next Super 8s fixture on August 31. How sweet it would be to pick up a piece of silverware, no matter how unfairly derided that particular gong might be, with our friends from over the lump in attendance. Assuming any of them stay to the final whistle should a Saints win be on the cards. Don’t expect them to stand their applauding and showing their full R-E-S-P-E-C-T. More likely is an East Stand Exodus of biblical proportions amid mutterings of how they’ll get us at Old Trafford.

And the worst thing about that is that they just might. There’s no point carping about it now but the fact of the matter is that the team that is the most consistent over the season is not necessarily the one which picks up the main prize. Ask Castleford Tigers about that. They have a bitter experience from last season to call upon. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that the Tigers themselves could be the beneficiaries of the system this time around. They could still be the ones to take the title away from Saints grasp. Their win over Warrington this week kept them firmly in the hunt for a top two berth which brings a home semi-final. That’s a prize worth having when you consider that nobody has won a Super League semi-final away from home in the first three seasons of the Super 8s system.

Yet for now Saints impending capture of the League Leaders Shield is something to be celebrated. It would be great to be able to do that against Wigan but fear not, for should the worst happen and derby day brings a defeat there will still be opportunities to seal the deal in the games against Catalans Dragons and Hull FC which follow. Wigan can delay things with a win over Saints in a fortnight, but a delay is likely to be all it will be. It’s just a matter of time.

Remember Me

One of the reasons why the Saints front men performed so much better than in recent weeks was the triumphant return of Jack Ashworth. The 23-year-old had only featured in one Super League game in 2018 up until his selection for this one in the absence of the suspended Thompson. That was against Wigan three weeks ago, since when Ashworth has suffered another injury in a career that has stalled since making his Super League debut in 2015.

Ashworth was a centre back then, but is now very much a front rower. His two strong carries help set the platform for Makinson’s first try while his delicious offload allowed James Roby to tear up the field to create another score for Lomax. In all Ashworth reeled off 92 metres on 10 carries and a couple of offloads. He also managed 10 tackles in defence, though he was rather caught out by Wood in the move that led to Wakefield’s first try. Yet as he had against Wigan Ashworth had made a real impact and has to now be considered a realistic option for selection in a Saints pack which has hardly covered itself in glory in August so far.

A Change Is Gonna Come

If Ashworth is to be included who will miss out? Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook managed to give away three penalties for ball stealing, a stat which frankly blows my mind and says everything about the negatives involved with having him around. Yet he was otherwise excellent. No Saints forward made more than McCarthy-Scarsbrook’s 126 metres (only Lomax among Saints went further with 127) and the former London man’s ability to play anywhere in the pack except hooker should guarantee his place in the 17. Luke Douglas was solid enough and scored a crucial try while Matty Lees put in 25 tackles and went over the 100-metre mark with ball in hand also. He continues to develop even if his enthusiasm can sometimes be a hindrance.

The man looking most vulnerable in the front row might be Kyle Amor. The former Trinity man made only 84 metres and managed to miss seven out of this 23 tackle attempts. This followed on from his underwhelming performances in the two defeats which preceded this win. At 31 Amor is arguably as good as he is ever going to be. It might be that with Ashworth’s emergence neither Irish international Amor nor Scotland’s Douglas can consider themselves certainties for the 17 every week at club level. One of them should certainly miss out if and when Alex Walmsley returns to fitness. Will Holbrook put his trust in youth against Shaun Wane’s men in a fortnight or will he rely once more on the experienced men who in fairness have been involved in getting Saints this far? He'll have to have a Think.

It’s Gonna Get A Bit Better. Isn’t It?

Saints slump has coincided with the loss of some key players through injury. Ryan Morgan has been out for three games with what we are led to believe are persistent problems recovering from head knocks, while Dominique Peyroux’s broken arm has no doubt been a key factor in the dip in form that the team has suffered. Yet with Peyroux due back in two to three weeks, Adam Swift returning at a similar time from a shoulder problem and hopes still of Walmsley returning to action before the end of the season it could be a different Saints outfit which embarks on a tilt at the playoffs.

Perhaps the most important player who needs to regain fitness is still in the team and therefore not getting the rest he needs. Ben Barba has rib and leg problems and should now be using the week off for the Challenge Cup final to fully recuperate. If Saints are to win the Grand Final they will need Barba at his brilliant best to give them that edge, that x-factor that other sides just do not possess. There has been much talk of opponents working out Barba’s game and shutting it down, but a fully fit Barba at full throttle will still cause seven kinds of mayhem against most Super League teams. This was another quiet outing for the Australian, thankfully without the dropped bombs and the post-game social media haranguing. But the potential for Barba to take a game over is always there and is something we might need come play-off time.

Thompson’s return should also provide a significant boost. He has been Saints best prop in 2018 and although Ashworth stepped up this week it would not be fun to see how Saints would get on without Thompson for any length of time, especially with Walmsley still side-lined. But now that the rot has been stopped there are reasons for optimism as the final furlong slides into view following this weekend’s Wembley final between Catalans Dragons and Warrington.