Who said sequels are never as good? Actually it was me on these very pages while previewing the second meeting between Saints and Wakefield Trinity in the space of six days. If you are a neutral and were hoping for a repeat of the first instalment you might think I was right. This was not the competitive contest we saw last week. But if you are a Saints fan you might reflect that you enjoyed this second episode rather more.
In my review of the 20-16 win over Trinity at Headingley I pondered some of Kristian Woolf’s selection decisions. In that context it was instructive to see him speak publicly ahead of the second game about his thought process. He felt that it would be good for Morgan Knowles to play in a wider role in the second row for a while. This gives him a slightly reduced workload and also an appreciation of a different role. It also affords the ageing Zeb Taia - in his final season - to reduce his minutes for a spell. The thinking is that both players will benefit physically and mentally ahead of the season’s denouement.
Woolf didn’t wait very long to move those players back into more familiar territory. Knowles started at loose forward and Taia was restored to the starting line-up. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook had started at 13 last time out but reverted to his more familiar bench spot. The other change was slightly surprising as Jack Welsby was preferred at left centre to Josh Simm. Welsby was certainly unfortunate to miss out last week as Tommy Makinson returned to the side but it was nevertheless harsh on Simm who has done well in relief of the injured Mark Percival in recent weeks. Simm’s opportunity will come again no doubt, as hopefully will that of Aaron Smith who has seemingly fallen out of favour with Woolf recently.
To the match then, which was largely a stroll for a Saints side hitting something like its highest gear. They scored nine tries to one in a dominant display. Saints were 30-0 up by half-time and could afford to relax slightly in the second half. Yet it could all have been so different. We need to talk about Kevin. Having gone 4-0 up through the first of James Roby’s double Saints could have found themselves short handed when Naiqama clumsily landed knees-first into the rib cage of Wakefield fullback Alex Walker. Intent is always hard to prove but if duty of care to an opponent is absolute then referee Robert Hicks should have at least shown Naiqama a yellow card. There are many Saints fans who would not have complained at a red.
Naiqama survived the experience and later scored just his fourth try of the Super League season when he took Makinson’s superb inside ball to round off the scoring late on. It was a rare moment of attacking involvement for Naiqama who has looked out of sorts for most of 2020, and not just in the way that most of us have in this bizarre year of tortuous daily briefings led by Lord Wibble and his band of bewildered, besuited incompetents. Perhaps Naiqama reasoned that sticking the knees in was as good a way to get noticed as any. He hasn’t been getting the ball very often. It could have proved costly.
As it was the first half belonged to Makinson, who upstaged even his skipper by helping himself to three tries in the space of 24 minutes. They all looked pretty similar, all displaying his deadly finishing skills on the right hand touch line after good link up play between Theo Fages, Jonny Lomax and Lachlan Coote. Makinson’s treble takes him to six tries for the 2020 season. The five match ban he picked up for his infamous squirrelling of Liam Watts is perhaps the reason why he is still some way behind Saints leading try-scorer Regan Grace and the suddenly prolific powerhouse prop Alex Walmsley. Both of those added to their season’s tallies as the Trinity defence that had dug in so well a week ago rather wilted against a Saints side that had clearly gone up several gears since then.
After the break the main fascination was in witnessing how Lewis Dodd would take another first team opportunity. Having featured in the win over Wigan on September 29 Dodd was left out when Saints faced Wakefield at Headingley. He was introduced here with around 25 minutes remaining. Initially there was more disappointment as he slotted into the hooking role rather than his preferred halfback position.
It took a worrying knock for Lomax to allow Dodd a short spell in the halves alongside Fages, albeit at stand-off rather than what used to be known as scrum-half. He handled things perfectly well again and even opened his try scoring account for the club. In truth he was rather fortunate that Hicks sent his effort upstairs for review as a try, leaving the video referee needing conclusive evidence to the contrary to chalk it off. There probably was not conclusive evidence that he had not scored but it looked highly dubious. One of those that was never going to be overturned by the TV evidence and so all depended on Hicks’ original decision. Those who still haven’t got over last year’s events at Wembley might consider that Hicks owed us one. It wasn’t quite as significant as the one Knowles was denied beneath the arch but try telling that to Dodd. He’ll remember it for some considerable time.
The second half did feature one rude interruption when Innes Senior intercepted a Lomax pass and took it 90 metres to score Wakefield’s only try. There was a moment when it looked like Grace might run him down but Senior found another gear which the Welshman didn’t have. He’d had to perform a swift 180, always difficult when you are in attack mode and anticipating a chance to run to the line and then find yourself having to chase down a winger who is already 30 metres down the field.
But it was a minor blemish for Saints on a night when they recorded their 11th win from 14 outings in Super League in 2020. That’s a win percentage of 78.57%, over seven percentage points better off than nearest challengers Wigan. The pies have spent this week successfully swerving a tough-looking fixture with Catalans Dragons, the tea lady having been forced to isolate in line with Covid protocols. That and the team they fielded in the derby recently suggests Wigan have little appetite for challenging Saints at the top. Yet a testing period awaits Woolf’s men, with next Friday’s meeting with Leeds the first of three games in eight days. Saints also face Leeds’ Challenge Cup final opponents Salford on October 26 before running into Wigan again on October 30. Three wins there is a big ask but would stretch the unbeaten run to 12 and surely see Saints enter the playoffs as league leaders.
Talking of sequels and repeat performances, another Grand Final experience like the one we had last year would be nice.
No comments:
Post a Comment