Super League talking points: Lachlan Lam distraction? Paul Wellens under pressure? Brad Arthur debut

With the business end of the season fast approaching, it promises to be another bumper weekend of Super League.

All six games are consequential once again, with major ramifications for both the race to make the play-offs – and indeed the order of the top six itself.

But this week, the big talking points arguably stem away from the pitch – and how they may impact what happens on it. Without further ado, let’s dive in.

St Helens’ unwanted record

You have to go back six years to find the last time St Helens lost four league games in a row: four games of any kind in a row, in fact.

But lose to Warrington on Friday night, and that will happen for the first time since 2018 – and it will undoubtedly crank up the pressure on Paul Wellens.

The mood music still suggests that Wellens will be given a new deal at the Saints next year: and rightly so, you could argue, given the injuries he’s had to deal with this year. But back-to-back defeats to Wigan and Warrington in consecutive weeks won’t lighten the mood around the Saints much, that is for sure.

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Will Lachlan Lam’s drama prove distracting?

Leigh will certainly hope it doesn’t: but it’s difficult not to imagine it hasn’t been dominating the agenda internally at the Leopards this past week.

Lam’s future beyond this year remains uncertain, but he and his team-mates have to park that this weekend as they look to keep up their push for the play-offs.

Leigh have what many would consider a winnable fixture against London Broncos on Friday evening but there is no doubting what will be on the agenda post-match when Adrian Lam sits down with the media: the future of his son.

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Can Leeds feed into a new coach boost?

We’ve seen it so many times in the past – and the Rhinos will be hoping it has an impact again this weekend: the new coach syndrome.

So often, teams who are struggling manage to up their game when a new coach arrives in town, and with Arthur having had a full week to put his ideas and philosophy across to Leeds’ players, it will be fascinating to see how they respond this weekend.

They have a tough start to life under Arthur, with high-flying Hull KR the visitors. Many Rhinos supporters will be just as intrigued to see how Arthur’s identity has rubbed off on his players just as much the result, you would imagine.

Does Matt Peet take a selection gamble?

Okay, okay. We almost certainly know the answer already: but with ten league places and 24 competition points between Wigan and Hull FC, there is an argument that the Warriors can look to rotate slightly this weekend.

The return of Brad O’Neill from suspension gives them the option to add an extra dynamic to their attack after last week’s win over St Helens, and the fact Adam Keighran successfully appealed a one-match ban also helps.

But will Peet afford more opportunities for young players ahead of the run-in? Or is this the prime moment to go out and make a statement?

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