Kristian Woolf gives update on Matty Lees and Will Hopoate whilst not ruling out two injured stars from Grand Final

St Helens should be accustomed to Grand Finals by now.

They’re set to make a record 14th appearance in the showpiece event of the year chasing a record nine wins as well as a record fourth consecutive win.

It is also Kristian Woolf’s third consecutive Grand Final appearance as he looks to become the first coach to win three Super League titles in a row.

However, no matter how experienced you are with these kinds of weeks, Woolf has emphasised the excitement in the camp this week in an interview with Saints TV: “We want to be nice and relaxed. These weeks are why you want to play footy, you want to be involved in these weeks, which is why you do all about the hard work.

“You’ve got to enjoy these weeks, they’re busy weeks, you have a lot of extra media. It’s important that we take our time and enjoy yourself. You know the players are going to give yourself their absolute best at the weekend and they’re really excited for the contest.

“Trying to keep them a little grounded, a little relaxed but you can sense the excitement. There’s a smile on everyone’s faces.”

He also gave an update on the players who suffered bangs in the semi-final win over Salford believing everyone who played that day will be available come Saturday against Leeds: “We’re looking pretty good at this stage. There’s a few blokes who didn’t do much today because they’re a bit battered and bruised. It was a tough game, everything you want from a semi-final.

“There are a couple of blokes who are battered and bruised, we’ve looked after them today and expect all 17 to train tomorrow and get a really good session in.

“Matty Lees got a fair bang on his knee, it’s settled right down. He’s worked really hard to get the swelling to go down.

“Joey copped a little bit of a head knock, he passed that. He’s fit and available to play.”

🗣️ COACH PREVIEW | The boss gives us some early squad news ahead of Saturday's Betfred @superleague #GrandFinal in a game which will be his last as Saints Coach….

Woolf will name his squad on Thursday.#COYS

— St.Helens R.F.C. (@Saints1890) September 20, 2022

He also gave an update on the chances of Will Hopoate playing in the final after another injury layoff meanwhile Dan Norman and Josh Simm aren’t entirely out of the running: “There’s a couple of blokes who are looking to be available, Will Hopoate is a big one looking like having a good chance there. We know what he offers the group when he’s fit and healthy, if he can keep ticking boxes, he’ll be in consideration.

“It’ll be a bit early for them, but guys like Dan Norman and Josh Simm have a chance of being available. So if we have a few problems there we have a couple of blokes who we can call on.”

Watch the full interview here.