It’s a first away assignment of the 2024 Super League campaign as Saints travel to face Huddersfield Giants on Saturday evening (February 24, kick-off 5.30pm).
Paul Wellens’ side kicked off the new season with a comfortable 40-4 home win over London Broncos last Friday night (February 17). The Giants present a somewhat stiffer challenge on paper, something evidenced by their 16-8 opening night win at 2023 Challenge Cup winners and playoff gatecrashers Leigh Leopards.
There are two changes to the Saints 21-man squad for this one. Morgan Knowles and Moses Mbye missed out against the Broncos through injury but both return to the fold this week. Hooker Jake Burns – who was included in last week’s 21 but not given a first team debut by Wellens – is one of those to drop out while Konrad Hurrell is also missing.
That might mean that new signing Waqa Blake makes a positional switch from wing to centre. The Fijian has operated predominantly as a centre for his former club Parramatta Eels but was moved to the flank for his Super League debut. If the 29 year-old former Eel and Sydney Rooster moves back inside it could open up an opportunity for Jon Bennison to return to the starting line-up on the left wing. Bennison missed out altogether last time out, named as the 18th man in case of concussions but ultimately not required.
The rest of the Saints team should not look too different from what we saw against the newly promoted Broncos. Jack Welsby continues at fullback while 2024 captain Jonny Lomax partners Lewis Dodd in the halves. If Bennison does play on the wing he will operate across from Tommy Makinson over on the right, with Mark Percival likely to be at centre alongside Blake.
Prop Alex Walmsley led the league in metres made in the opening round with 188 and looks set to lead the Saints pack again. Matty Lees, Sione Mata’utia, George Delaney and possibly Knowles are the other front row options aside from hooker Daryl Clark and his returning back-up Mbye.
Walmsley has made some headlines off the field this week with his thoughts on the formation of a players union. His remarks were prompted by some interesting decisions by the game’s infamous Match Review Panel following the first round of Super League fixtures. With red cards becoming ubiquitous, those riled by this development were not becalmed any further by the lengthy bans which were then handed down to some of the weekend’s culprits by the MRP at their weekly review.
In particular, most observers were confused by the three games handed out to Hull FC’s Franklin Pele for a deliberate and frenzied swinging arm during his side’s 22-0 walloping by Hull KR when compared with the four games given to Liam Watts for what looked a less intentional shoulder charge during Castleford’s loss to Wigan.
The players have apparently not been consulted and Walmsley wants to change that along with many of the other conditions under which modern professionals operate. There has even been some talk of strike action, which feels like knee-jerk-ery to this amateur scribe but we have certainly seen it in other sports.
Back to the plot, where Joe Batchelor is still out so expect Matt Whitley to get another start. He made a joyous two-try debut in the second row for his home town club a week ago. Curtis Sironen is his likely partner while Knowles could usurp James Bell for the starting 13 slot if he isn’t used at prop.
That would force Bell to the bench meaning that one of Jake Wingfield or Ben Davies could miss out from last week’s 17. Given the nature of the modern game you would lean towards Wingfield getting the nod as an interchange player over Davies, but that is assuming that Percival is fully fit.
There must have been some doubt last week with Davies named among the substitutes and Sam Royle left out. Royle is again included in this week’s 21 but will find it very difficult to get into the 17 ahead of what looks like the league’s best and certainly deepest group of back rowers.
Now there are all sorts of puerile remarks that could be included here about the fact that Jake Connor is out after taking a bang on the head but this is a grown up column so we shall resist. Suffice to say that Connor – who is in his second season back with the Giants after six campaigns spent underwhelming all who encountered him at Hull FC – is out after failing an HIA in the win over Leigh. Counterbalancing that somewhat is the return from suspension of Tongan international fullback Tui Lolohea.
Giants fans will therefore not be deprived of their regular helping of bonkers unpredictability despite Head Coach Ian Watson’s quest to make the team duller than any other top flight side. With Will Pryce now in the NRL the onus is on the likes of Connor and Lolohea along with new signing Adam Clune to provide the creative spark for the Giants in 2024. Which is no doubt difficult when you have Watson bellowing at you to follow the process.
Clune made his Giants debut last week and looks set to lead the side around again alongside Olly Russell in the halves. A three-time Grand Final winner with Saints, Kevin Naiqama would still stroll into our team but will unfortunately be in the centres on the other side. Likely to join him there is former Wests Tigers, North Queensland Cowboys and Gold Coast Titans man Esan Marsters. Another former Saint Adam Swift features on the wing, partnered last week by 2024 arrival from Castleford Elliott Wallis.
Walmsley isn’t the only forward among the ranks of these two sides who has had something to say about the controversy surrounding disciplinary action. Luke Yates also spoke out, though perhaps motivated by the fact that he is still serving a three-game ban for a tip tackle in a pre-season friendly with the Tigers which precludes him from any involvement in this one.
Veteran Chris Hill led the front row last week alongside Sebastine Ikahihifo and Adam Milner at hooker. Behind them Jack Murchie had an impressive debut in the second row and should again partner Sam Hewitt. The ageless Leroy Cudjoe stepped into the loose forward role against the Leopards in Yates’ absence and is included again. All of last week’s bench are again involved as Ash Golding, Matty English, Hugo Salabio and Oliver Wilson again feature in Watson’s 21-man group.
Loop fixtures caused Saints to run into the Giants three times in 2023. Only the first of these - the only one played at the John Smith’s Stadium - was particularly close. On that March occasion Saints came through a tense battle to win 14-12.
Things were more straightforward in early June when Saints ran in nine tries in a 48-6 Magic Weekend stroll at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Two months later when all but Challenge Cup finalists Leigh and Hull KR had the weekend off the Giants came to St Helens and left with a 32-18 defeat. Makinson scored seven tries across those two games, bagging four at Magic and another three at home.
He’d also crossed for one in the win at the John Smith’s making it eight against the Giants in 2023. That’s more than a third of the 22 tries he managed in Super League last year. Can he play them every week? They’re unlikely to be happy to see him this weekend, especially since he has already opened his try-scoring account for the season with one in the win over London.
It’s hard to predict what will happen here with only one 2024 outing for each side to provide any idea of form. Winning at Leigh is perhaps a statement that the Giants will be better this year and in any case, they proved to be what baseball aficionados call a tough out for Saints on their own patch a year ago. This would probably be a more straightforward call if Saints were the home side.
The (still) world champions were hardly tested by a Broncos side given no hope by their IMG grading. Still, the red vee did nothing to persuade anyone that they won’t be a force again. If they have genuine ambitions to secure the top two slot then this is the kind of hurdle that they need to be jumping. So, still filled with the early season optimism that fans of all clubs except London and Hull FC seem to enjoy, I’ll back Saints to bring it home by four in another tense one in West Yorkshire.
Squads;
Huddersfield Giants:
2. Adam Swift. Esan Marsters 4. Kevin Naiqama. 6. Tui Lolohea. 7. Adam Clune. 8. Chris Hill. 9 Adam Milner. 11. Jack Murchie 12. Sam Hewitt. 14. Ash Golding. 15. Matty English. 17. Olly Wilson. 18. Seb Ikahihifo. 19. Tom Deakin. 20. Elliot Wallis. 22. Harvey Livett. 23. Olly Russell. 24. Sam Halsall. 26. Hugo Salabio
Saints:
1. Jack Welsby, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Waqa Blake, 4. Mark Percival, 5. Jon Bennison, 6. Jonny Lomax, 7. Lewis Dodd, 8. Alex Walmsley, 9. Daryl Clark, 10. Matty Lees, 11. Sione Mata’utia, 13. Morgan Knowles, 14. Moses Mbye, 15. James Bell, 16. Curtis Sironen, 18. Jake Wingfield, 19. Matt Whitley, 20. George Delaney, 21. Ben Davies, 22. Sam Royle, 25. Tee Ritson
Referee: Aaron Moore
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