St Helens player ratings: ‘Slick’ Jack Welsby and ‘deadly’ Jon Bennison secure ‘classy’ win over Castleford

St Helens gave their play-off hopes a shot in the arm with a classy 40-4 win over Castleford Tigers. 

The returning faces made an instant impact on the Saints performance, and brought a genuine desire that hasn’t been seen from St Helens for some time now.

Here are our St Helens player ratings from their victory over the Fords at the Totally Wicked Stadium.

Jack Welsby – 9

Just a really slick performance from the England international, who was at the heart of everything St Helens did well. Produced a nice line-break and assist for Bennison’s try, and could have had at least two or three more assists as he delivered some delicious passes to exploit space. Also had some nice defensive efforts too, including a nice strip on his own line which he turned into a promising attack.

Tommy Makinson – 7

Was given a lots of chances out wide, and made really good in-roads through the Cas defence. Grabbed a deserved try on his final outing at the Totally Wicked Stadium.

Sione Mata’utia – 8

A fantastic shift for his final outing at the Totally Wicked Stadium. Added some significant punch to their backline and came up with some barnstorming carries, which in turn allowed them to get on the front-foot and build some decent attacks. Will be missed when he leaves at the end of the season.

Mark Percival – 8

Played a vital role in getting the attack going. Importantly combined well with the likes of Welsby and Bennison to turn the left edge into their key weapon and was also a consistent threat with ball in hand. Produced a sharp assist for Bennison’s second try.

Jon Bennison – 8

Silenced some of his critics with a tidy performance out wide. Showed some deadly finishing instincts with his hat-trick, and did a decent job around the park. Mixed fortunes from the tee, but they were tricky kicks in fairness.

Jonny Lomax – 8

 Just a really tidy game from Lomax. Gave some really nice passes to set their attack into motion, and his combination with Welsby also allowed Saints to play an expansive game. Rounded off his display with a cheeky try from dummy-half and could have had another too.

Lewis Dodd – 7

A controlled performance from Dodd tonight. Combined well with Lomax in the halves, and caused plenty of problems with the boot too.

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Alex Walmsley – 7

Ran his blood to water for his side, and really got through some work. In typical fashion he carried hard through traffic and also made his tackles. In a nice touch, he showed his playmaking skills too as he sent Jake Burns over for a try.

Jake Burns – 7

Brought heaps of energy and intent to proceedings. Distributed well out of the ruck, and also fronted up against much larger opponents through the middle. He also grabbed a nice try for his efforts too, and is continuing to give a decent account of himself at this level.

Matty Lees – 7

Proper workhorse performance from Lees tonight in defence, and came up with plenty of good efforts on this side of the ball. Got his hands on the ball to strong effect as well.

Matt Whitley – 7

A much-improved showing from the back-rower. He added some extra punch to the attack off Dodd, and overall just grafted for his side.

Joe Batchelor – 7

Likewise with Batchelor, who did the ugly stuff very well. Came up with some lovely flourishes in attack too, as he sliced through the line.

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Morgan Knowles – 7

Typically industrious from the loose forward. Packed a real punch in defence, which limited the work of Cas’ middle unit. Also put in some decent carries of his own.

Bench

Daryl Clark – 7

Injected plenty of pace into the attack upon his arrival, which in turn allowed St Helens to run away with the game.

James Bell – 7

Came up with some lovely touches in both defence and attack, and added his usual impact to the game.

Agnatius Paasi – 7

Busy in the middle of the park, and scored a nice try for his efforts.

George Delaney – 7

 Some nice efforts on both sides of the ball, and continues to show his quality at the top level. Finished the rout with a deserved try.

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