Following the ferocious Magic Weekend fixture between Wigan Warriors and St Helens, both sides are significantly hampered on the injury front.
The two picked up plenty of injuries from the game, but whilst seven players were charged by the Match Review Panel, none of them were handed bans, so are all eligible to feature in Round 18.
Wigan host Warrington Wolves this evening, whilst Saints have a slightly longer turnaround and take on Toulouse on Sunday. Their 21-man squad will be named later today.
Ahead of those two games, we have taken a look at how both 17’s could look, and it’s worrying signs for both sides, who truly are down to the bare bones.
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Wigan Warriors and St Helens predicted line-ups after injury nightmare in Magic meeting
Wigan Warriors team news:
Starting with the Challenge Cup holders, they were dealt two huge blows with Jack Farrimond set to miss the rest of the season and Junior Nsemba set to miss a month due to hamstring injuries. Nathan Lowe will also be out for a while after he was stretchered off in the win.
Add to that Liam Marshall, Bevan French and Liam Farrell, who are all a couple of weeks away, Sam Walters is still suspended, whilst Abbas Miski and Oliver Wilson won’t play this season.
In a boost for Matt Peet, though, Luke Thompson has returned earlier than expected from a foot injury suffered at Hull FC a fortnight ago.
In terms of replacements, one of Josh Cartwright or Austin Daniel will play on the wing for the injured Lowe, whilst there are a number of options for the open halves spot. Adam Keighran could switch from the centres, but that leads to more disruption, so it’s expected that Taylor Kerr plays there. Evan Buckley was named in the 21, but he featured for the academy side last night.
Lukas Mason looks set to start in the back row, with Oliver Partington likely to remain there too after filling in last week.
Wigan Warriors predicted side to face Warrington:Â Jai Field, Zach Eckersley, Adam Keighran, Jake Wardle, Austin Daniel, Taylor Kerr, Harry Smith, Ethan Havard, Brad O’Neill, Sam Eseh Jr, Lukas Mason, Oliver Partington, Kaide Ellis
Bench: Luke Thompson, Patrick Mago, Kian McDermott, Shea O’Connor
St Helens team news:
Moving on to the Red Vee, their current situation is even worse, with nine of their starting 13 squad numbers unavailable, and even more injuries coming in the rest of their squad.
The big news this week sees Daryl Clark sidelined for eight weeks, whilst David Klemmer is out for “several weeks”.
Alex Walmsley and George Delaney both failed HIAs, so the Saints pack will be severely depleted against the French side.
Add to that, there are existing injuries to: Mark Percival, Deon Cross, Jonny Lomax, Matty Lees, Curtis Sironen, Matt Whitley, George Whitby, Jake Wingfield, Lewis Murphy and Noah Stephens.
Jed Cartwright has joined the club on loan from Hull FC, and is expected to be named in the 21-man squad later today, whilst the side will almost certainly contain some debutants. Academy talents Chris Matagi, Deacon Swarbrick, Billy Keeley and Cole Marsh have been named on occasion this season, and could make a rare appearance.
St Helens predicted side to face Toulouse:Â Jack Welsby, Owen Dagnall, Harry Robertson, Nene MacDonald, Jacob Douglas, Tristan Sailor, Jackson Hastings, Daniel Suluka-Fifita, Jake Burns, Shane Wright, Jake Davies, Jacob Host, Joe Shorrocks
Bench:Â Tom Humpreys, Alfie Sinclair, Chris Matagi, Jed Cartwright
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