The dress rehearsals are over. It’s time for the real business to get under way. Saints begin what in boxing terms would be considered their fourth title defence when they host Warrington Wolves this Saturday afternoon (September 30, kick-off 12.45pm).
Oh alright, I can’t fool you. You know that I do not consider the entire eight-month regular season to be nothing but a dress rehearsal for the main event. But this is That Saints Blog, and the identity of the team finishing top of the table in 2023 dictates that the whole regular season be considered a dress rehearsal for something infinitely more important.
By virtue of points difference the champions have been left out in the cold somewhat. Only the top two during the regular season enjoy the week off and the prospect of a home semi-final. Third place - even if it is only third by what Ian Smith once memorably described as the barest of margins - brings with it an extra playoff round – albeit at home – the prize for which is an away trip to one of the top two for a place in the Grand Final.
For Saints that means the south of France, Perpignan and Catalans Dragons. Standing in the way of that meeting are premature ejaculators Warrington, who won the league at Easter but still somehow managed to end up sixth by September.
Saints boss Paul Wellens has possibly as strong a squad available as at any time during the 2023 campaign. Only Agnatius Paasi and George Delaney stand out as absentees who could be fairly confident of a place in the 17 if everybody was fit. Paasi has not recovered quite as quickly as Alex Walmsley from the grubbery of Leigh Leopards’ John Asiata while Delaney picked up a one-match ban for a high shot in last week’s win over Hull FC.
This reasonably unsoiled level of availability leaves Wellens with a few more selection decisions to make than he has perhaps been afforded for much of his debut year in charge. James Bell is returning from illness which kept him out against Tony Smith’s side and it seems certain that a place will be found for him. It may be that he slots straight into Delaney’s bench spot given that the back row is suitably stacked with Curtis Sironen, Joe Batchelor and Morgan Knowles all present. Should Wellens decide that Walmsley is ready to start after his surprise return last week then one of those back rowers or even Sione Mata’utia may find themselves starting on the bench too.
The interchange options should also include Moses Mbye and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook. The Londoner - described not that unfairly by your writer as the Phil Neville of rugby league on That Saints Pod this week - is in the James Roby boat in as far as he is one defeat away from the end of a long career of medal collection. Both are playing their last home game for the club come what may. Which is just about where the comparison between the two should begin and end. But we thank them both equally for their service. Roby should start game 550 of his astonishing career in a front row featuring Matty Lees and either Walmsley or Mata’utia.
Turning to the backs it’s difficult to envisage changes. Jack Welsby is Saints’ most destructive attacking weapon from fullback. The one capable of doing something outrageously brilliant in a team which otherwise aims only to wear opponents down until weight of possession and territory causes the battered and quite possibly bored to death opponent to collapse under the strain. And if any team has form for collapsing under the strain it is Wire.
Will Hopoate is another on the tightrope on which defeat would seal his Saints exit. Yet unlike the aforementioned Roby and McCarthy-Scarsbrook who have amassed 920 first team appearances between them, a loss in this one would end the Tongan’s Saints journey at a modest 30 matches. Not that his future is being taken into account by Wellens who seems certain to select the ex-Canterbury Bulldog ahead of Jon Bennison while he still can.
Twenty-try Tommy Makinson is still arguably the best all round winger in Super League and looks an immovable object on the right flank. Konrad Hurrell and Mark Percival occupy the centre slots with Ben Davies named in the 21 as backup filed under solid if unspectacular. Jonny Lomax and Lewis Dodd have occupied the halfback positions in every Super League game in 2023 and there is no earthly reason to believe that they will not do so again.
On the subject of halfbacks Warrington fans will be heartened by the presence of George Williams in the 21-man party picked by interim head coach Gary Chambers. The ex-Wigan and Canberra man missed the clash between these two a fortnight ago due to a thigh problem but returned for the win over Huddersfield Giants which finally booked Wire’s place in the post season action.
Williams is a genuine superstar of the sport, recently named England captain by Baron Greenback Shaun Wane and not that far removed from his spell spent ripping it up in the NRL with the Raiders. His problem is he can’t get the staff around him consistently.
The Help is further diminished by the absence of prop Paul Vaughan. The ex-St George-Illawarra Dragon and Canterbury Bulldog was hit with a four-game ban for trying to help a blatantly time wasting Mata’utia to his feet in the dying embers of Saints’ 18-6 win at the Halliwell Jones two weeks ago.
Despite the outrage and games-gone-ery of those who would rather we do without disciplinary action it was decreed that rules is rules and that there was precedent. That precedent ironically involved Mata’utia who sat out three games in July of last year for offering similar assistance to Danny Levi in a match against Ian Watson’s Huddersfield Giants which Saints won 25-0 despite being down to 12 men after Mata’utia’s dismissal. Trust the process.
The loss of Vaughan could be huge for Wire. It could not be more ill-timed than to coincide with the resurfacing of Walmsley for Saints. Before his suspension Vaughan was Super League’s top metre maker. Despite having to sit out that final regular season round win over the Giants Vaughan still finished third in that category behind Catalans winger Tom Johnstone and Leigh prop Tom Amone.
Few Wolves fans are likely have their anxieties over Vaughan’s absence soothed by the return of Gil Dudson to the ranks. The former Wigan and Catalans penalty dispenser is back in Chambers’ 21 after a hamstring injury but will do well to see action ahead of James Harrison, Thomas Mikaele or Joe Philbin. Heck, Chambers would be better off picking Sam Kasiano or Joe Bullock.
The man all writers worth their salt are currently required to refer to as Saints-bound Daryl Clark will get one last crack at his new employers while wearing the primrose and blue but will likely share time at dummy half with Danny Walker. Don’t worry Wire fans, Brad Dwyer is on the way. In the back row Ben Currie continues his attempts to return to 2017 form alongside Matty Peet heartbreaker Matty Nicholson. Philbin or Bullock may lock the scrum if Chambers decides to try and combat Saints’ size in the pack although Jordy Crowther will also hope for an opportunity.
If Williams is to fire he will need what supporting cast he has in the back division to show up. That starts with fullback Matt Dufty, blessed with all of the pace in the world and none of the poise. Josh Thewlis is out injured which should offer another chance to Matty Russell while on the other wing audible sighs of relief could be heard from Burtonwood to Penketh when news emerged that Matty Ashton has recovered from illness. If you are going to beat Saints then one of the best ways to do it is to exploit their lack of pace in the backs.
More worrying for Wire fans is the possible involvement of Peter Mata’utia before his likely reunion with Daryl Powell at Wakefield for their 2024 tilt at being promoted from the Championship without the intervention of IMG. To paraphrase former England cricketer Jimmy Ormond’s infamous sledging of Australian Test batsman Mark Waugh, Peter Mata’utia isn’t even the best player in his family.
Greg Minikin and Stef Ratchford are among the other options for Warrington in the centres which goes a long way to explaining why Williams is in danger of sinking in the swamp that is his side’s human resources issue. Even his halfback partner Josh Drinkwater has gone decidedly off the boil after being one of the keys to Warrington’s fast start to 2023,
Saints’ win at Warrington on September 15 was their third over the Wolves in the crazy, loop fixtured world of 2023. Wellens’ side were comfortable 28-6 winners at home in April although things were somewhat tighter in Warrington in early July when the visitors prevailed by just the one score at 24-20.
The pair haven’t met in the playoffs since 2018 when it was Warrington who emerged with an 18-13 semi-final win on Saintly soil. The Wolves went on to lose to Wigan in the Grand Final, natch. Saints had topped the table that year by a preposterous 10 points in a 23-game regular season under former coach Justin Holbrook. Yet a side containing Ben Barba (tools virtually down by that point it should be said), Luke Thompson and Regan Grace were edged by two Tom Lineham tries and another by Jack Hughes.
The fact that Wire went on to beat Saints 18-4 in the following year’s Challenge Cup final and 20-18 in a 2020 quarter-final of the same competition is making some fans a little tetchy. McCarthy-Scarsbrook was on the bench for all three of those knockout football defeats as well. Just saying…
What I’m also saying is that I don’t expect a repeat of those disappointments. Wire look for all the world like a team whose race was run some time ago. They have crawled into the playoffs by virtue of that fast start. But that was March, a time when an audio deficient, 20-minute version of Match Of The Day was actually broadcast and I was hallucinating from the Royal Liverpool HDU about life size models of Jurgen Klopp suspended from the walls in a huge net. Things were different then.
Saints’ attacking conservatism may keep Warrington in it for a good chunk of proceedings but by the 80th minute the world champions should be a couple of scores to the good.
Saints;
1. Jack Welsby, 2. Tommy Makinson, 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, 12. Joe Batchelor, 13. Morgan Knowles, 15. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, 16. Curtis Sironen, 19. James Bell, 20. Dan Norman, 21. Ben Davies, 22. Sam Royle, 23. Konrad Hurrell, 35. Moses Mbye.
Warrington Wolves;
- Matty Dufty, 3. Peter Mata’utia 4. Stefan Ratchford 5. Matty Ashton 6. George Williams 7. Josh Drinkwater 8. James Harrison. 9. Daryl Clark. 11. Ben Currie 12. Matty Nicholson. 14. Sam Kasiano 15. Joe Philbin 16. Danny Walker 17. Gil Dudson 18. Thomas Mikaele. 19. Joe Bullock. 20. Connor Wrench. 21. Greg Minikin. 25. Leon Hayes. 34. Matty Russell 36. Jordy Crowther
Referee: Ben Thaler
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