St Helens remain firmly in contention in the race for the League Leaders’ Shield. The Saints are currently level on points with arch-rivals, Wigan Warriors, at the top of the Super League table, although the Warriors have a game in hand. However, Saints have suffered a series of major injuries to key players, which threatens to derail their title charge.
St Helens host play-off hopefuls, Leeds Rhinos, in a crucial clash at the top of the table. The side from Merseyside come into the game fresh off the back of a 60-4 demolition of Castleford Tigers in their previous Super League match. Despite an early red card for Tommy Makinson, the Saints ran in 52 unanswered points in the second half to blow the Tigers out of the water.
But, speaking in his pre-Leeds press conference, Saints’ head coach, Paul Wellens had bad news for fans of the Red Vee. He confirmed that three key players face prolonged spells on the sidelines, after suffering serious injuries.
Morgan Knowles, Matt Whitley and Jake Wingfield are all key members of the St Helens first-team squad. Whitley has made eight appearances since joining the club from the Catalans Dragons in the off-season. Knowles has played nine times this season and Wingfield has featured on eight occasions.
Wellens confirmed that Wingfield faces the longest spell on the sidelines.
“Jake Winfield, he’s gone into another shoulder repair and that’s looking like a 16-week lay-off,” Wellens stated
