GAMEDAY: All you need to know about Saints’ game with Wakefield Trinity
IT will be a much-changed and very young Saints side taking the field today in the Round 26 clash at home to Wakefield Trinity (3pm).
Despite Friday’s defeat at Wigan, Saints are still four points clear of their second-placed rivals and can wrap up the League Leaders Shield if they avoid defeat today – or if the Warriors fail to win at Hull KR.
With a number of players injured, plus Curtis Sironen and Morgan Knowles suspended, Kristian Woolf has selected an inexperienced with up to five potential debutants.
They face a Wakefield side that has won four of their last five fixtures to ensure their Super League survival.
Saints needed a golden point Jack Welsby drop goal to win at Belle Vue last month.
Potential Saints debutants include 19-year-old Reserves centre Rio-Osayomwanbo Corkill, 18-year-old half back Ellis Archer who has represented Lancashire in the Origin series and 18-year-old winger Keane Gilford, who has scored five tries in seven Reserve team games in 2022.
Full back Ben Lane is another 18-year-old named. He has played five times for the Reserves and has also represented Lancashire in their 3-0 origin series win over Yorkshire.
Hooker Jake Burns, 22, has scored seven tries in 12 games for the Reserves this year and is rewarded with a call up to the senior squad.
Hooker Taylor Pemberton, prop George Delaney, back rower McKenzie Buckley and half back Daniel Moss have all progressed through the Academy and debuted against Castleford earlier this season
Teams.
Saints: 2. Tommy Makinson, 14. Joey Lussick, 15. LMS, 17. Agnatius Paasi, 19. Jake Wingfield, 20. James Bell, 21. Josh Simm, 22. Ben Davies, 24. Dan Norman, 26. Sam Royle, 27. Jon Bennison, 28. Lewis Baxter, 31. Taylor Pemberton, 33. Daniel Moss, 34. George Delaney, 35. McKenzie Buckley, 36. Rio-Osayomwanbo Corkill, 37. Ellis Archer, 38. Keane Gilford, 39. Ben Lane, 40. Jake Burns.
Wakefield: Max Jowitt, Jacob Miller, Mason Lino, Eddie Battye, Tinirau Arona, Matty Ashurst, Jordy Crowther, Lee Gaskell, Liam Kay, Jack Croft, Brad Walker, Yusuf Aydin, Sid Adebiyi, Harry Bowes, Lewis Murphy, Dane Windrow, Isaac Shaw, Corey Hall, Thomas Minns, Rob Butler, Kyle Evans.
LAST 10 MEETINGS.
Wakefield 12, St Helens 13 (aet) (SLR20, 24/7/22).
St Helens 20, Wakefield 4 (SLR3, 25/2/22).
Wakefield 14, St Helens 30 (SLR14, 9/7/21).
St Helens 34, Wakefield 6 (SLR3, 16/4/21).
St Helens 48, Wakefield 6 (SLR9, 15/10/20) (at Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington).
Wakefield 16, St Helens 20 (SLR15, 9/10/20) (at Emerald Headingley, Leeds).
St Helens 26, Wakefield 6 (SLR24, 2/8/19).
St Helens 48, Wakefield 10 (CCQF, 1/6/19).
Wakefield 18, St Helens 24 (SLR2, 10/2/19).
Wakefield 16, St Helens 36 (SLS8-R2, 16/8/18).
Referee: Tom Grant.
EVENTS.
Tribute: At around 2.30pm, the club will pay tribute to fans who have passed during the last year. The names of all fans submitted as part of the tribute will also be included in Saints Digital Programme.
There will be a minute’s applause as part of our Tribute for all fans as well as players, coaches and directors who have left us in the last year.
Academy unveiling: Saints Scholarship graduates who will make the step up into the Saints Academy next season will be revealed on the pitch at half-time.
