Saints continue their quest for a top two spot and even - though probably best not to mention it to the ex-pies on Sky Sports - the League Leaders Shield when they visit bottom club Wakefield Trinity on Sunday (September 3, kick-off 3.00pm).
Saints come into this one on a five-game winning streak. Paul Wellens’ side were undefeated in August, a run which has all but secured a top three spot and ensured they extend their proud record of being the only team to qualify for the playoffs in every season since they were introduced into Super League in 1998. But the champions want and need to go higher than third to avoid playing that extra round in the playoffs and then potentially away at one of the top two in the semi-final.
For Trinity it is all about survival in the top flight. Mark Applegarth’s side prop up the division and - at the time of writing - sit two points adrift of Castleford ahead of the Tigers’ visit to Warrington this afternoon (September 2). They were crushed 20-0 by Salford Red Devils last time out. That was the sixth time this season that Trinity have failed to register a single point over the course of 80 minutes.
They are the division’s lowest scorers by 30 points having picked up an average of only 10.69 points per game. Paltry doesn’t do it justice. That has translated to just four wins from their 23 games, the last of which was a quite hilarious 42-6 pounding of Warrington at the end of July. Can they play them every week?
Wellens has made two changes to his 21-man squad. Matty Lees comes back in after a two-game suspension, while Konrad Hurrell is available following after a calf problem. Lees will bolster a front row which continues to miss Alex Walmsley and Agnatius Paasi. If he starts it could end the recent run of five run-on appearances by George Delaney or else see Morgan Knowles revert to his more familiar loose forward role.
Hurrell’s return looks like bad news for Ben Davies. The 23 year-old has earned praise from Wellens for the job he has done in relief of Hurrell and Will Hopoate. He has been a consistent if unspectacular performer in starting the last four. Yet it will be tempting for Wellens to restore Hurrell to the line-up considering that he was often Saints’ best attacking player before his injury.
If Wellens does opt for Hurrell he will also need to decide whether to use him on the right edge as has been the case previously or else move him over to the left flank to allow Mark Percival to continue his fruitful partnership with Tommy Makinson. Percival has operated on the right in the last three during which Makinson has scored seven tries in an overall run of eight in his last four.
If that combination is not tinkered with it would leave Hurrell to strike up a partnership with Jon Bennison on the left. Bennison has not always been an automatic selection under Wellens but seems to have convinced the head coach that he is a better option than Tee Ritson. The latter has not featured in either of the last two and has managed only three tries in 16 appearances in his debut season with the red vee.
Whoever makes up the three-quarter line will be hoping for good service from the creative department of fullback Jack Welsby and halves Jonny Lomax and Lewis Dodd. Welsby leads the league in assists with 25 alongside Wigan’s Bevan French and is usually involved in all of the good things that happen for Saints in attack. Lomax has 18 assists to his name this term while Dodd has chipped in with eight. Though the attack has been awkward looking at times it has clicked often enough for Saints to be one of only four sides to pass the 500-point mark so far in 2023.
Assuming that Lees starts he could be part of a front row featuring either Delaney or Knowles with James Roby at hooker. Moses Mbye is the current alternative to the skipper in that position. Dan Norman and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook look likely to be the reinforcements at prop. The back row is one of the strongest in the league with Sione Mata’utia, Joe Batchelor and James Bell among the options. Sam Royle has also contributed significantly having been given a run in the 17 in the absence through injury of Curtis Sironen. Royle has been involved in the last five and will hope to stretch that run.
It’s not helping Wakefield’s cause that they are without several experienced members of their back line. Max Jowitt, Jorge Taufua, Corey Hall and Reece Lyne are all missing. Newest recruit Josh Griffin is involved as is ex-Warrington winger Tom Lineham as well as Jack Croft and Innes Senior. Griffin will hope to have a better experience than in his last game against Saints when he was sent off for dissent on the half-time hooter while playing for Hull FC in the Challenge Cup quarter-final, He was subsequently banned for seven games and made the switch to Trinity during that suspension.
Griffin and company will look for a good deal more creativity than they witnessed in last week’s defeat to Salford from halfback pairing Mason Lino and Luke Gale. That looks a decent enough combination on paper even if that hasn’t yet brought enough in the way of results.
The loss of Jai Whitbread in the pack is a significant blow to Applegarth’s side. It could be somewhat offset by the presence of David Fifita after his return to West Yorkshire. Renouf Atoni was on the bench at Salford while Eddie Battye and Josh Bowden are also options for the Trinity boss along with Sam Eseh. Liam Hood should be the starting nine perhaps backed up by the increasingly versatile Liam Kay.
Kay started at loose forward at the AJ Bell Stadium with Jay Pitts and former Saint Matty Ashurst making up the second row. Kelepi Tanginoa is out with a broken arm but Trinity do have the experienced Kevin Proctor to call on. Proctor has almost 300 NRL appearances under his belt as well as 22 appearances for New Zealand. It is fair to say that the Wakefield fans have not seen the best of the 34 year-old but now would be a good time for him to bring it.
Refreshingly in the age of the loop fixture this will be only the second meeting between the two in 2023. Trinity didn’t offer too much resistance when they visited St Helens at the end of March. On that occasion a Hurrell double and further scores from Makinson, Percival, Lomax, Dodd and Hopoate helped Saints ease to a 38-0 win.
Saints had a little more trouble on their last visit to Wakefield in July last year. It took a Welsby drop-goal to scrape a 13-12 win in a game which saw Regan Grace score his 88th and final try for the club. Wakefield’s last home win over Saints was a 24-20 success back in 2018. Percival crossed twice in that one while Makinson also got over along with Luke Douglas. Yet Saints were undone as Lyne, Ben Jones-Bishop, Justin Horo and Bill Tupou bagged tries for Wakefield.
It’s hard to see that five-year run without a home win over Saints ending this week. Though Wakefield are desperate and Saints are impacted by injuries the world champions should still have more than enough to haul themselves back alongside Wigan and Catalans in the scrap for pole position heading into the playoffs. Saints by 18.
Squads;
St Helens;
1. Jack Welsby, 2. Tommy Makinson, 4. Mark Percival, 5. Jon Bennison, 6. Jonny Lomax, 7. Lewis Dodd, 9. James Roby, 10. Matty Lees, 11. Sione Mata’utia, 12. Joe Batchelor, 13. Morgan Knowles, 15. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, 19. James Bell, 20. Dan Norman, 21. Ben Davies, 22. Sam Royle, 23. Konrad Hurrell, 24. Lewis Baxter, 25. Tee Ritson, 30. George Delaney, 35. Moses Mbye.
Wakefield Trinity;
5. Tom Lineham, 7. Mason Lino, 8. Eddie Battye, 9. Liam Hood, 11. Matty Ashurst, 13. Jay Pitts, 15. Liam Kay, 16. Josh Bowden, 17. Renouf Atoni, 18. Lee Kershaw, 19. Kevin Proctor, 25. Sam Eseh, 33. Will Dagger, 34. Innes Senior, 37. Luke Gale, 38. Jack Croft, 40. David Fifita, 41. Romain Franco, 42. Hugo Salabio, 43. Josh Griffin.
Referee: Marcus Griffiths
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