St Helens: Kristian Woolf confirms Lewis Dodd blow

St Helens Head Coach Kristian Woolf has confirmed Lewis Dodd will miss the rest of the season after picking up an Achilles injury.

Dodd came off during St Helens’ Good Friday win over Wigan at the Totally Wicked Stadium. He was a notable absentee from the squad that took on Huddersfield.

Woolf also confirmed Dodd would not be fit in time for the World Cup later this year.

He told his post-match press conference:”Lewis Dodd’s unfortunately going to be up for the rest of the season. He’s got a significant Achilles injury there. So that’s a real blow to him.

“It’s a devastating blow to him and for look at what he’s done for this team over the last 12 months and it came in just after Challenge Cup last year, was a big part of all we’re able to go through and have success and win the grand final last year.

“All the success and how we’ve played to start the year this year he’s a very big part of that and, you know, in my eyes has been the form half back of the competition this year, and I’d be very sure that it’d be in and around the England squad at the end of the year.

“It’s devastating news for him. It’s obviously bad luck for us as a team as a second year in a row that we’ve unfortunately lost our number seven. That’s, that’s a hard thing to overcome.

Woolf praises resilience of St Helens squad

Woolf also praised the squad for the resilience they have shown to their injured players. He also expects Dodd to be no different.

It is the second straight year Saints have lost their number seven, having lost Theo Fages to a shoulder injury last year following the Challenge Cup Final.

He added: “But what I know about this group and what they showed again, today is real resilience. They’ve got a really good way of getting around each other when there is someone that needs getting around, like Lewis will. And they’ve got a real real way of banding together and finding a little bit more out of each other and overcoming those sorts of obstacles.

“That’s exactly what I expect them to do again this year, we’re gonna obviously have to find different ways to put things together without our number seven, but I know that with this group that likes to put their hands up and fill the void and they’ll do that well.”

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