St Helens head coach Paul Rowley has shared an injury update with the club losing another two bodies in the recent Good Friday derby win.
There will be at least two players returning for Friday’s Challenge Cup clash against Catalans Dragons, as well as the possibility of another with Rowley playing his cards close to his chest at times.
Both Agnatius Paasi and Shane Wright suffered blows in the win over Wigan Warriors with Rowley confirming that both men are now sidelines, the former for an extended period.
“Iggy is a hamstring, so he’s done now for a couple of months probably,” Rowley revealed when speaking to the media.
“Shane Wright got a category A or 1 (head knock), whatever they call it, so he’ll miss this game and he’ll be available for next (week).
Paasi has had a growing influence in the team in recent weeks and when asked what a substantial loss he is, Rowley hailed the prop’s early efforts in the win over Wigan.
“He started really well,” Rowley admitted, adding: “He got involved in a couple of contacts that made the mark and obviously forced the error with a really solid challenge there, but unfortunately for him and us, he only lasted three or four minutes.
“That’s unfortunate for him and us, but luckily for us, the boys stood up and covered that extra workload.”
St Helens’ injury update
Losing Paasi so early was a major blow in that game seen as young prop George Delaney didn’t play and when asked for an injury update on the forward, Rowley didn’t disclose much.
He responded: “I don’t like disclosing injuries to be fair, so yeah, he had an injury and that’s all you need to know.”
If that meant a return on Friday or in a few weeks, Rowley added: “We’ll see this week.”
On other returnees, Rowley confirmed: “Jonny Lomax isn’t far off again. We’ll see what he’s like this week, if not this, then next.”
He also revealed that both Kyle Feldt (suspension) and Alex Walmsley (foot) would return, a duo he agreed were a major boost: “Absolutely. In particular Alex, because obviously we’ve had two wingers doing a great job, so Kyle will come back into the squad but Alex will be a welcome addition with the injury to Agnatius and obviously Jordan (Dezaria), returning back to his current club.”
One man who won’t feature again is Mark Percival with Rowley confirming the centre to be suffering from a hamstring injury, meaning he will be a ‘few weeks’.
