St Helens boss Paul Wellens provides the latest on injured trio
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St Helens coach Paul Wellens has provided an update on James Roby, Mark Percival and Agnatius Paasi ahead of their clash with Leeds.
Roby was absent from Saints’ 24-6 win at Castleford on Sunday. The legendary hooker hasn’t been named in Wellens’ side to face Leeds in Friday night’s televised match.
“He’s got a bit of a groin issue, which is an issue he’s dealt with in the past,” Wellens said
“James is one of those blokes that if you asked him to play this weekend, then he would roll out to play.
“But we are very mindful of the fact that its Round Two for us, Round Three officially. There’s a long way to go in the season.
“With James being a stalwart, he doesn’t need to be put in uncomfortable positions this early in the season. We know that he would be more than happy to play. But we need to be sensible with how we treat James, particularly given his age and his importance to us.”
Paul Wellens on Agnatius Paasi and Mark Percival
The world champions will be without Tongan powerhouse Paasi for a little longer.
Wellens continued: “At this stage of the year we don’t want to be playing players who are injured when we have other fit bodies who can do a job.
“It’s disappointing that Agnatius isn’t fit and in the team at this stage. I don’t imagine his lay-off being much longer.
“We’re hoping he will be back for the Leigh game next week; if not the Huddersfield one after that. We’ll see how he progresses in the coming.”
Star centre Mark Percival rolled his ankle in last week’s win at Castleford, but he should be okay to face the Rhinos.
Wellens added: “It’s looking like he will play. He had a bit of a rolled ankle at the back end of the game so it is a bit sore. We will see how he progresses.
“We purposely delayed the naming of the team until the last minute to allow players like Mark to prove his fitness.
“We’ve got a training session on Thursday, the last one before Friday’s game. That’s when the big decisions will be made.”
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