Trio out for Saints as Cas miss Ellis

St Helens will be without Michael Shenton, Josh Jones and Jon Wilkin for the visit of Castleford on Friday.

Mike Rush is, however, boosted by the return of Exiles representative Sia Soliola, who himself has been missing through injury.

Another man who won’t be playing is former St Helens half-back or hooker Jamie Ellis, now at Castleford, who was handed a one-match for a dangerous throw on Kieran Dixon in the Tigers’ defeat to London Broncos last Sunday.

That defeat, which helped lifted the Broncos off the bottom of the table, prompted Tigers chief executive Steve Ferres to issue a statement to the club’s fans.

He said: “Since my appointment, it has been a priority to evaluate the club’s position as a business and as a competitive Super League team. This is an ongoing process that will result in some changes over the course of the next few months and beyond. As I’m sure you all agree, change needs to happen to bring a new culture to the club that will drive it forward and ultimately deliver a successful team you can all be proud of. 

“Once again, our performance on Sunday let you down; you who value us most at a time when we need you more than ever, and we know that performances like that are unacceptable.

“I am an honest man and determined to be as up front as I can with you about the club’s development as we strive to improve its performance both on and off the field. As such, please rest assured that when we start making those much-needed changes, you will hear about them directly from us.”

Castleford travel to Langtree Park to face St Helens on Friday (8pm).