Hull KR are looking to make it consecutive Grand Finals but St Helens stand in their way and the early injury news is in with both sides hoping some key men pull through.
The hosts Hull KR have the advantage of having had a bye week so that will have allowed players to rest up and recover, whilst St Helens can’t say the same.
They found themselves in an attritional battle against Leeds Rhinos that they won in dramatic circumstances, scoring the now iconic ‘Left to Wright’ try as they kept the ball alive beyond the final hooter.
After such a battle, Saints will have undoubtedly been left battered and bruised but they seemed to come through without any major injury concerns.
Ahead of the coach pressers and the 21-man squads, we’ve looked at where each team has players ruled out and which other players are doubtful.
Hull KR team news
Having not played last week, you’d hope and expect that there are no fresh injury concerns for Hull KR but one of their players who is currently sidelined sustained their injury in training.
That man is Micky McIlorum with the hooker suffering a fractured ankle in early to mid-August, leaving the club fearing that the veteran would not play again. Peters had confirmed that if ‘anyone can do it, he certainly can’ in reference to the short recovery time.
Until further updates come from Peters, McIlorum can certainly be called out a doubt but it’s more realistic that he will be ruled out with the veteran given one more week to possibly try and get fit for the Grand Final, should Hull KR make it.
Joe Burgess is the other injury concern with the winger not playing in rounds 25, 26 or 27. It’s believed that some of those decisions were precautionary and with an extra week off, Burgess is expected to be fit.
Fellow winger Lee Kershaw remains out after suffering an ACL injury in training back in June.
St Helens team news
St Helens will be awaiting news on both Mark Percival and Kyle Feldt with the veteran outside backs both nursing injuries. Feldt’s back spasms prevented him from playing against Leeds, whilst Percival suffered a knee injury in the game but was able to continue.
He did forfeit kicking duties to Jon Bennison with Paul Wellens admitting post-match that such injuries could ‘deteriorate’ in the immediate 24 to 48 hours after, something Saints will be desperate is not the case.
Should Percival miss out then Owen Dagnall could be the man to replace him with the young outside back ‘potentially’ in line to feature with Paul Wellens previously confirming that Dagnall would go for a ‘surveillance scan’.
One man who won’t play is fellow outside back Lewis Murphy, previously ruled out due to a thigh injury in the round 27 game against Castleford Tigers.
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