St Helens boss Paul Wellens has something of a selection dilemma on his hands ahead of Thursday’s clash with Leigh Leopards.
The Saints picked up their fifth straight win on Friday night as they edged out Leeds Rhinos 6-0 at Headingley with a defensive performance that has been lauded. That saw the Saints leapfrog Leeds in the league table and they’ll be looking to build on that next week against Leigh, who are right up there in the battle for the top four, too.
However, the win at Headingley came at a price for St Helens, with Daryl Clark and Jake Burns failing HIAs, ensuring they will be unavailable for the home game against the Leopards at the very least.
Wellens finds himself short of options at hooker then and he’ll be mulling over his number nine selection in the coming days as he bids to avoid major disruption and keep Saints on their positive trajectory.
Here’s a look at a few of those options.
St Helens hooker options v Leigh Leopards
Moses Mbye
The most likely option, let’s be honest. Mbye has spent most of the season in the dummy-half role either as a starter or off the bench and he seems the obvious choice. However, right now he’s playing well alongside Jonny Lomax in the halves and Wellens might be reluctant to change that.
He’s started the last four games in the pivots, with the head knock George Whitby picked up last month seeing him lose his spot in the side. Should Mbye move back to nine, Whitby can expect to regain his spot, but there’s always the chance Wellens will want to keep Mbye and Lomax together while their picking up wins and consistency.
Jake Wingfield
The man chosen to slot into the number nine role after Clark and Burns had to withdraw. He doesn’t have too much experience in the position but he fared relatively well and looked the part as he filled in.
It seems likely that Wellens will look to more of a specialist in the position, but Wingfield is an option.
Ciaran Nolan
The 20-year-old hasn’t made an appearance for the Saints first-team just yet but he does have senior experience in the Championship having represented Swinton Lions last season on dual registration. It would be a big ask to throw him in from the start, but he could provide an option off the bench should Wellens look his way.
Cole Marsh
The Saints have two youngsters able to play hooker in their ranks but Marsh is still waiting for his first taste of senior action at any level. He’s 19 but has been a regular in the reserves and might just be the latest academy product Wellens looks to this season, following in the footsteps of Whitby and Friday’s hero Owen Dagnall.
