London Broncos v St Helens - Preview

Saints go in search of one of the three wins they need to wrap up another League Leaders Shield when they visit London Broncos in a Betfred Super League Round 23 clash on Sunday afternoon (July 21, kick-off 3.00pm).

Coach Justin Holbrook managed to take some of the attention away from his own future by announcing early in the week that he would rest ‘at least nine or ten’ of his first team players for the trip south. True to his word, he has named four potential debutants in his 19-man party with all of Lachlan Coote, Tommy Makinson, Kevin Naiqama, Mark Percival, Jonny Lomax, Theo Fages, Alex Walmsley and Luke Thompson left out. James Roby has not yet returned from having surgery which has kept him out for the last month or so and won’t be back either, while Zeb Taia is still unavailable with a shoulder problem. All of which leaves room in the squad for the untested quartet of loose forward Callum Hazzard, halfback Lewis Dodd, hooker Josh Eaves and centre Josh Simm.

Attempting to work out exactly who will make the final line-up is a bit of a mug’s game, but being a seasoned mug of some repute I’m happy to give it a go. Jack Welsby is recalled for the first time since Saints lost 23-22 on their last visit to London in early June (I know…loop fixtures…..) and looks the prime candidate for the fullback role vacated by Coote. Makinson’s right wing berth will go to Adam Swift in his final season as a Saint, a chance for him to add to his fine record of 86 tries in 128 appearances. Regan Grace is not one of those rested by Holbrook and should start on the other wing, with Simm perhaps forming a centre partnership with Matty Costello.

In the halves Dodd has a more than fair chance of starting alongside Danny Richardson, 2018 Dream Team member and recent Saints first team exile. James Bentley has been doing a sterling job at hooker in the last few weeks but Holbrook also has Aaron Smith to call on as well as Eaves in that position. Dominique Peyroux is named in the 19 but was among those mentioned by Holbrook when he listed those who probably would not play. Should that be the case Morgan Knowles may be partnered in the second row by Joe Batchelor, with Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook at loose forward. Matty Lees, Kyle Amor and Jack Ashworth are the only other three recognised props so McCarthy-Scarsbrook may yet be needed there which could allow Hazzard his opportunity. Joseph Paulo is in the squad after missing last week’s derby win over Wigan but with all this resting and wrapping in cotton wool going on it would be a surprise if he is rushed back from his calf injury with the Coral Challenge Cup semi-final meeting with Halifax looming next weekend.

London have made just one change to their squad and it involves an on-loan Saint who would ironically have come in very handy given the raft of changes made by Holbrook. Ryan Morgan is out and will be replaced by the returning Olsi Krasniqi. Alex Walker and Rob Butler missed last week’s 35-22 defeat at Hull FC and could be in line for a return for a Broncos side that is potentially in the unusual position of having to deal with the favourites tag. What success they have had this season has been achieved in the knowledge that nobody expects them to win from week to week, much less escape relegation. Yet if Saints throw in all of their new blood the expectation will be all on London to put the youngsters in their place.

Key to that will be men like Rhys Williams, Elliot Kear and Kieran Dixon in the backs, along with Jordan Abdull in the halves. Morgan Smith dropped the winning goal at Trailfinders in the Broncos golden-point win a month ago but is currently out. Expect James Cunningham to again be influential at hooker or scrum half along with forwards Eddie Battye, Jay Pitts and Luke Yates. Former Saint Greg Richards is a Grand Final winner from our 2014 vintage under Nathan Brown.

And so to the thorny question of the rights, wrongs and not-so-sures of Holbrook’s selection. There were no complaints when Saints played at London without Coote, Lomax, Makinson, Walmsley and Taia In June. The timing of it, with just six games left and so much closer to the hour of reckoning for the other clubs involved with London in the relegation scrap has certainly had some influence on their reaction to it. Yet this Tinkerman-ery is on a different level if we see four debutants and almost twice as many absent regulars as we saw in June. Added to that, the senior players who have been retained are not the real star quality game changers of the back-line or the front row. The best of them is probably Knowles, but he is not winning any game by himself. Richardson’s selection could go either way too. The young half could take umbrage at having been thrown in with a much weakened squad, or he could see it as an opportunity to remind the coach of his capabilities just ahead of the run towards the playoffs and, hopefully, a Wembley final. It is possible for Holbrook to pick a 17 capable of winning this game, but equally, it is possible that he will expose the young players to what could turn out to be a miserable debut experience which doesn’t seem to do anybody any good.

What will not be a concern is the grumbling coming from elsewhere in Super League. Fans of Hull KR, Huddersfield, Leeds and maybe now even Wakefield will be fretting about Saints’ line-up. They will view it as unduly interfering with the battle going on to avoid the drop to the Championship. Yet the counter-argument is that Saints, 10 points clear at the top of the table and in about as much danger of moving anywhere as Donald Trump, have earned the right to rest their star turns. The memories of last season, when Holbrook went with the same group of players on a much more consistent basis only to see them falter in both semi-finals, is enough to persuade many that the changes are being made for the right reasons and that the aim is not to disrespect the competition or in any way influence the relegation issue. Those involved in that little scrap will have had 29 games of their own by the end of the regular season to save themselves, and should they fail to do so they would be well advised to look squarely in the mirror.

Yet if I’m honest fielding a severely weakened team, should that happen, does not sit well with me. All it does is highlight the absolute folly of a league system which fails so palpably to reward the most consistent side throughout the regular season. If we were playing under the old ‘first past the post rules’ which governed the top flight throughout most of my early years watching rugby league then I dare say a few of those with their feet up this weekend would have been pressed into action. The system allows it, which doesn’t really do the image of the game too much good. Equally, the likes of Hull FC and Catalans Dragons and arguably even Wigan have been doddering along at their own pace all year yet still retain hopes of reaching the Grand Final and taking the prize at Saints expense. If Holbrook has it in his power to do something to reduce the chances of that happening then perhaps exercising that power will produce a just result in the end.

For now it is all guess work, which is pretty much all you can say about how Saints might line-up and further, how they might get on against Danny Ward’s side. Pride suggests they will put the effort in. The defeat in June will have stung and those involved in that game who have been included again this time will no doubt have that somewhere in the recesses of their minds. Yet with bookmakers everywhere shortening the odds on London to pull off a second victory of the season over the table-toppers the whole thing just has a bad feel about it from a Saints standpoint. London by eight.

Squads;

London Broncos;

1. Alex Walker 2. Rhys Williams 3. Ben Hellewell 4. Elliott Kear 5. Kieran Dixon 6. Jordan Abdull 7. James Cunningham 8. Eddie Battye 10. Mark Ioane 12. Jay Pitts 13. Sadiq Adibiyi 14. Matty Fozard 15. Greg Richards 16. Matt Gee 17. Matty Fleming 20. Luke Yates 23. Rob Butler 26. Sam Davis 30. Olsi Krasniqi


St Helens;

5. Regan Grace 7. Danny Richardson 12. Joseph Paulo 13. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook 15. Morgan Knowles 16. Kyle Amor 17. Dominique Peyroux 18. Adam Swift 19. Matty Lees 20. Jack Ashworth 21. Aaron Smith 22. James Bentley 24. Matty Costello 25. Joe Batchelor 27. Josh Eaves 28. Callum Hazard 29. Jack Welsby 30. Josh Simm 31. Lewis Dodd

Referee: Tom Grant