It might be short lived, it might be the start of something like a return to normal. As bed-wetters everywhere call for the easing of restrictions to be delayed due to concerns over the Indian variant of Covid-19, Saints nevertheless prepare to welcome fans to their home for the first time in over 14 months when Salford Red Devils visit on Monday night (May 17, kick-off 7.45pm).
There is of course no evidence that the Indian variant is more resistant to any of the available vaccines. There is certainly none to suggest that anybody who has been vaccinated could still suffer serious illness or death. Yet there is somehow still a feeling of inevitability about the reintroduction of tighter restrictions over the next few weeks. It would be an outrage, but I’m preparing for it nonetheless.
That’s why the 4,000 members who were successful in the ballot for tickets for the clash with Richard Marshall’s men are especially fortunate. We should make the most of it. It might be slightly eerie to only have 4,000 in a stadium more accustomed to housing something in the region of 10,000. Social distancing will make it different to cup ties against Oldham and York which have attracted similarly modest crowds in recent years. It will be fascinating to see what kind of atmosphere can be generated. But at least there will be an atmosphere. It’s been far, far too long.
To on-field matters. Saints coach Kristian Woolf has been forced into making one change to the 21-man squad on duty for last week’s Challenge Cup win over Huddersfield Giants. Tommy Makinson limped out of that game inside three minutes having missed the previous two with a foot injury. He has since been ruled out for up to a month. His place in the squad has been taken by Josh Simm, involved for the first time since returning from a loan spell at Leigh Centurions. It’s far from a given that Simm will make the match day 17. When Makinson has been out previously Kevin Naiqama has been the preferred choice to fill the void with Woolf pairing Jack Welsby and Mark Percival in the centres. Only a further injury to one of those three or to Lachlan Coote or Regan Grace is likely to see Simm included. Yet he should be boosted by his recall to the first team environment and will no doubt get his opportunity at some point during what is a long season.
There is better news regarding Morgan Knowles. It was something of a false start for Knowles last week, named in the 21 for the Giants game but not deemed fit enough by Woolf to make it into the final 17. Woolf has made a firmer commitment to involving Knowles against Salford in his press comments this week. That could be bad news for Joe Batchelor who started against Ian Watson’s side. A back row of Knowles, Sione Mata’utia and Joel Thompson looks the way to go.
Matty Lees is still out with a broken ankle so front row stalwarts Alex Walmsley and James Roby are likely to again have Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook for company. That will mean Kyle Amor and Agnatius Paasi will have to be content with spots on the bench. They may be joined by Batchelor, though both Aaron Smith and Lewis Dodd will hope to be involved. Dodd was left out last week and seems no closer to breaking up Saints functional but uninspiring halfback partnership of Jonny Lomax and Theo Fages. The Frenchman’s exit from the club was a conversational topic again this week as the Giants made their interest public. For now he will continue to be the safe pair of hands that Woolf treasures so much alongside the more creative presence of Lomax.
Dan Norman is named again despite having yet to make a competitive debut and he completes the selection along with young back Ben Davies.
Marshall has overseen a steady improvement in the Red Devils after a very uncertain start. His first match in charge was a 29-6 defeat to Saints but he returns again to his former employer with a few more reasons to be optimistic. The Red Devils pushed Castleford Tigers all the way to extra time in the cup last week. They picked up their first league win a fortnight before that against Leigh and are starting to look a little more competitive.
Marshall has made three changes to the squad which took on the Tigers last weekend. Morgan Escare, Andy Ackers and former Saint Matty Costello all come back in with Oliver Roberts, Elliot Kear and Dec Patton missing out. Salford will still be without former Wigan flyer Joe Burgess, while goal-kicking three-quarter Krisnan Inu continues to miss out amid an investigation into comments he made about the rape conviction of former NRL star Jarryd Hayne.
Despite these absences there are plenty of threats on the Salford side. Kallum Watkins and Dan Sarginson are Grand Final winners who have played internationally, while Kevin Brown and Tui Lolohea can be a devastating halfback combination on their day. The question is probably how many days they have left together. St Helens-born Brown is now 36 while Lolohea is approaching the end of the deal which saw him arrive after a fairly ordinary start to life in England with Leeds Rhinos. He will have plenty of suitors for 2022 and beyond.
Up front another Grand Final winner leads in the shape of Lee Mossop, while Sebastine Ikahihifo is another very capable prop. Pauli Pauli and Darcy Lussick will look to add further impact. Elijah Taylor, Harvey Livett and Danny Addy have more subtle qualities but offer a decent mix of experience and improvisation.
In truth none of it should be enough to trouble Saints. They can be a hard watch but Woolf’s side have so far proven very effective when it comes to getting results. As much as I fear a poor result could be around the corner for Woolf if he does not release the handbrake, it will probably take a stronger side than Salford at a later stage of its development to do the job. Marshall’s team are still very much a work in progress. He needs to be given time, and not judged too harshly by how he travels against the stronger sides in Super League. Saints by 18.
The result almost seems secondary to the symbolic importance of the occasion. Whatever the future holds it is significant for all 4,000 of us fortunate enough to be attending. It could be joyous. It could be emotional. It could be marred by constant talk of Lockdown 37 in the press, on TV and on social media. It’s really difficult to know how it will feel. But just to be there after so long away will be a reason to be thankful. It’s not normality, but it’s a tentative step in that direction.
Squads;
St Helens;
1 Lachlan Coote, 3 Kevin Naiqama, 4 Mark Percival, 5 Regan Grace, 6 Jonny Lomax, 7 Theo Fages, 8 Alex Walmsley, 9 James Roby, 11 Joel Thompson, 13 Morgan Knowles, 14 Sione Mata’utia, 15 Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, 16 Kyle Amor, 17 Agnatius Paasi, 18 Jack Welsby, 19 Aaron Smith, 20 Joe Batchelor, 21 Lewis Dodd, 22 Josh Simm, 25 Dan Norman, 29 Ben Davies.
Salford Red Devils;
1 Morgan Escare, 2 Ken Sio, 3 Kallum Watkins, 6 Tui Lolohea, 7 Kevin Brown, 8 Lee Mossop, 9 Andy Ackers, 10 Sebastine Ikahihifo, 11 Ryan Lannon, 12 Pauli Pauli, 13 Elijah Taylor, 14 Danny Addy, 16 Greg Burke, 18 Chris Atkin, 20 Harvey Livett, 21 James Greenwood, 22 Rhys Williams, 23 Dan Sarginson, 24 Matty Costello, 25 Jack Ormondroyd, 28 Darcy Lussick.
Referee: Liam Moore
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