St Helens face defining evening as selection dilemmas set to shape Super League and long-term plans
St Helens head coach Paul Wellens
There can never, ever be any suggestion that a Wigan Warriors-St Helens derby is a foregone conclusion.
No supporter of either club would tell you that no matter how heavily the odds are stacked against them, the result is basically decided before both teams take to the field. But even the most optimistic St Helens fan will be heading over the Billinge Hill on Friday evening slightly fearing the worst.
The tectonic plates of the greatest rivalry of them all have shifted the way of Wigan in the last 18 months or so: at least in terms of trophies. The Saints did win on Good Friday – but they head to the home of their biggest rivals on Friday evening categorically the underdogs.
That’s on two fronts. Form: last week’s home defeat to Castleford means the Saints are aiming to avoid losing three straight Super League games – a rarity in most eras. But also in terms of the calibre of players out injured.
It’s estimated that the Saints have well over a third of their cap sat on the sidelines going into Friday night’s game – and Paul Wellens would be the first to tell you that is not an excuse. That leans you to believe that it is performance, perhaps more than result, which will determine the mood coming out of the game on Friday.
But Wellens himself has some significant dilemmas to ponder which may not only define what happens on Friday, but the remainder of their Super League season.
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The major dilemma revolves around scrum-half Lewis Dodd. Singled out by Paul Sculthorpe for criticism this week, who insisted the Saints need to take him out of the firing line, the South Sydney Rabbitohs-bound scrum-half is one of several who has under-performed in recent weeks.
If Dodd is pulled on Friday evening, it would likely open the door to one of two highly-rated youngsters. Harry Robertson has been in sensational form for the club’s academy and reserve sides, while Will Roberts is another the Saints have high hopes for.
Robertson would appear to be the favourite of the two to come in, which would mean Jack Welsby going to seven. If the youngster stands up to the test in a ferocious derby atmosphere, it could have major ramifications for how the Saints approach things for the rest of the year.
The feeling from those around the Saints is that they are still unsure about the direction of travel post-Dodd next year. George Whitby is another waiting in the wings to be the club’s long-term answer at seven, but 2025 may prove a year too soon. Moses Mbye could fill the gap for a year – or Friday could give Wellens and the Saints another option.
Robertson could be introduced at fullback, Welsby switched into the halves alongside Jonny Lomax – with Mbye coming in for the bigger games and coming off the bench at hooker in others – leaving Dodd on the fringes. Roberts could come in and impress, too.
There are plenty of options on the table for the club, with so many promising young stars waiting in the wings.
If one or more of them play on Friday and cope with the pressure, it could give Wellens more dilemmas down the line about how he handles Dodd’s impending exit and indeed the succession plans to replace him.
There are other dilemmas, too. Does Tee Ritson drop out and Ben Davies come into the centres? That would mean Waqa Blake switches back to wing, and he is effectively playing for a longer deal in 2025, too. Wing is where he has looked at his best.
Nobody internally will be looking past Friday evening – but it’s interesting to ponder just what the long-term ramifications could be for the Saints if they come out of it with some level of optimism. It may yet prove to be season-defining and perhaps shape Wellens’ own future at the Saints, too.
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