The jockeying for places in the top six continues when Saints visit Warrington on Friday night (July 7, kick-off 8.00pm).
The champions lie fifth in the current standings following last week’s rain soaked 22-0 home win over Castleford Tigers. If that position seems underwhelming it should not be forgotten that Paul Wellens’ side have a game in hand on all of the other sides in the mix for a playoff berth. Victory at the Halliwell Jones Stadium will see Saints climb above the Wolves into the top four. Should that happen then the red vee will remain on course to get into the top two with a big enough win in that crucial, yet to be arranged game in hand at home to Huddersfield Giants.
The biggest obstacle to that eventuality is arguably not the hapless, process following Giants but the question of where the fixture will be slotted into the schedule. If Saints make it to the Challenge Cup final then the Giants fixture may need to be played in midweek at some point. Which - should it come to pass - looks an awful lot like punishment for firstly enhancing the league’s reputation by winning the world title on Australian soil and secondly for doing well in the cup. Pardon us for being a bit handy at this game.
But as regular readers will be aware this column is not for banging on about how wronged we have been. Our level of success makes all anti-Saints conspiracy theories obsolete. So let’s stay optimistic shall we? For all their inconsistencies the winners of the last four Super League titles could yet end the 2023 regular season just one home win away from another Grand Final appearance. And if that happens few would bet against them sealing a fifth consecutive Super League title.
Meanwhile Warrington are heading in the wrong direction after a sensational start to 2023 which had their fan base booking hotels in Manchester for October 14. It’s a strange quirk of human nature that many fans of the trophy collecting juggernaut that is Saints think the world is against them while most followers of title starved, Devon Loch tribute act Warrington seem to be eternally optimistic.
The Wolves fans’ faith has been tested recently. Last week’s 22-6 home defeat by Leeds Rhinos saw Daryl Powell’s side slip down to fourth by the end of the weekend having been second at the start of it. It was a sixth defeat in their last nine league outings for Wire who have also been knocked out of the Challenge Cup during that run.
All of which is the polar opposite of how they began the campaign. They won their first eight Super League games in a row to start the year, not tasting defeat until a 13-6 reverse at home to Wigan in mid-April. They should still be in the shake-up when the knockout games begin in September but their path to Old Trafford might look a little more challenging than they would have hoped and believed at Easter.
One of the issues facing Saints at the moment is the loss of key players through injuries. The squad has not looked quite as deep this year as it has in the four previous seasons when they emerged with the big prize. That problem isn’t going away as yet. Wellens has made only one change to his 21-man squad from last week and that is largely because none of Tommy Makinson, Tee Ritson, Curtis Sironen or Joe Batchelor are available at the moment. The latter made the 21 last week but was withdrawn on the day of the Tigers game with a hamstring injury. That is expected to keep him out for at least a couple of weeks so Lewis Baxter comes into the squad.
When match day rolls around Wellens may at least have the benefit of being able to name an unchanged 17. Some would argue that you can’t put a price on consistency of selection even if you have to keep naming a side missing key players. Not that there isn’t plenty of quality remaining at Wellens’ disposal. Usual suspects Jack Welsby at fullback and centres Konrad Hurrell and Mark Percival pick themselves even when everyone is fit. The problem is on the wings with Makinson and Ritson out. Will Hopoate had a fine game against Cas in relief of Makinson and should keep his place if fit. Meanwhile on the other side Jon Bennison claimed a try, over 200 metres on the ground and player of the match honours on his second consecutive start.
With Welsby seemingly entrenched at fullback Jonny Lomax and Lewis Dodd are unchallenged for their places in the halves. Many - including me - have questioned whether fullback is Welsby’s best position. He has endured a series of defensive mishaps which coupled with the disappointing form of Dodd has left us wondering whether he might be better suited to a halfback role. There is definitely a movement among the fans for Welsby to make that switch but it’s probably a non starter at the moment with would be replacement fullback Bennison covering absence on the wing. For now we’re all just going to have to trust that Wellens - an all-time great fullback - knows what he is doing with the number one position.
The loss of both Sironen and Batchelor is a blow but if there is one area of the side where Saints remain pretty stacked with quality it is in the second row. Sione Mata’utia only lost his starting role because of a combination of his head injuries and the form of Sironen and Batchelor. The former Australian Kangaroos representative would start regularly for most other Super League sides. Meanwhile James Bell is often a victim of his own versatility but should get the nod to start on the right edge. Morgan Knowles is coming off his best performance of the season against Castleford and is hopefully coming into form at the right time.
Alex Walmsley and Matty Lees are a fixture in the starting prop roles as is James Roby at hooker. For a few months longer in any case. Wellens has publicly acknowledged that leaving out Joey Lussick as Roby’s bench relief in recent matches was a mistake so expect to see the ex-Salford man feature in the 17. The more taxing decision for Wellens is about who backs up Walmsley and Lees at prop among the interchanges. Agnatius Paasi tends to be included whenever he is fit. Until recently the same could be said about Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook. Yet he missed out when Sironen and Batchelor were fit to allow space on the bench for Mata’utia and Bell. With those two out the Londoner should add to his 360 Saints appearances. George Delaney impressed against Castleford and fully deserves to keep his place among the interchange options.
Warrington should be much stronger for the return of George Williams. The former Wigan and Canberra man has missed the last two through injury but returns to Powell’s 21 this week. That will come as a relief to Warrington fans who have endured Powell’s tinkering in the halves over the course of defeats to Castleford and Leeds. With Josh Drinkwater returning last week Powell should be able to pair him with Williams in one of Super League’s stronger halfback combinations. That will also allow those who have been used as stop gap halves like Matt Dufty and Stefan Ratchford to return to their more familiar roles at fullback and centre respectively.
Across the three-quarter line Ratchford and Matty Ashton look certainties. Powell’s loyalty to ex-Cas man Peter Mata’utia could see Sione’s brother feature while Matty Russell and Josh Thewlis are the main contenders for the right wing spot.
There will be at least one change to the prop rotation for Wire with Sam Kasiano joining James Harrison on the suspension naughty step. The ex-Catalans Dragon copped a one-game ban for dangerous contact in the loss to the Rhinos. Youngsters Lucas Green and Adam Holroyd will hope for an opportunity to fill the giant Kasiano’s regular interchange role behind starting props Gil Dudson and early season superstar Paul Vaughan.
The apparently mutual decision to release ableist trouble magnet Josh McGuire and the loss of Thomas Mikaele for family reasons have not helped Warrington. Joes Philbin and Bullock could have a big role to play along with Ben Currie. Rumoured Saints transfer target Daryl Clark has a role off the bench for Wire at the moment with Danny Walker emerging as one of the best nines in the competition.
The sides have met just once so far in 2023. On that night back in April Saints produced one of their best displays of the season in a 28-6 home win. Saints scored five tries that night, the pick of which was Bennison’s as he sent Dufty out into the car park with an outrageous dummy. Lomax, Ritson, Hopoate and Hurrell all crossed that night also as the world champions dominated.
Saints have a great recent record at the Halliwell Jones Stadium. They have not tasted defeat there since a pre-pandemic 19-0 loss in February 2020. Only five of the 17 on duty for Saints in that one have a chance of being involved here. Only six remain for Warrington. A lot has changed in the intervening years. Except the identity of the team picking up the trophy at the end of the season.
At a time when too many league games lack jeopardy this one has plenty on it beyond the humdrum of another local spat. Warrington have to arrest their recent slide sooner rather than later while Saints cannot afford to miss this opportunity to get back in the mix for a top two finish. It shouldn’t lack intensity. Wire will be a different beast if Williams and Drinkwater are reunited but I’m still going for Saints to maintain their recent record at Warrington with a one or two score win. Saints by eight.
Squads;
Warrington Wolves;
Matty Ashton, Joe Bullock, Daryl Clark, Ben Currie, Josh Drinkwater, Gil Dudson, Matt Dufty, Lucas Green, Adam Holroyd, Peter Mata’utia, Greg Minikin, Joe Philbin, Stefan Ratchford, Matty Russell, Josh Thewlis, Luke Thomas, Paul Vaughan, Danny Walker, Tom Whitehead, George Williams, Connor Wrench.
Saints;
1. Jack Welsby, 3. Will Hopoate, 4. Mark Percival, 5. Jon Bennison, 6. Jonny Lomax, 7. Lewis Dodd, 8. Alex Walmsley, 9. James Roby, 10. Matty Lees, 11. Sione Mata’utia, 13. Morgan Knowles, 14. Joey Lussick, 15. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, 17. Agnatius Paasi, 19. James Bell, 21. Ben Davies,22. Sam Royle, 23. Konrad Hurrell, 24. Lewis Baxter, 25. Tee Ritson, 30. George Delaney
Referee: Jack Smith
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