St Helens will welcome back star prop Matty Lees this week, as he returns to the side for the first time since early February.
Lees suffered a major knee injury in the club’s opening game of the season, as they travelled to Cumbria to face Workington Town.
The Red Vee won that game, but it came at a cost with Lees confirmed to the sidelined for up to three months.
However, in what is a huge boost for Paul Rowley’s side, the England international has been able to recover quicker than first expected, and after 10 weeks, he is now fit and available for selection.
Lees is a major figure within the Saints camp, and one that Rowley, who spoke to the press today, knows will have a huge influence on the side on Thursday evening when they host Hull FC in Super League.
The boss said: “‘Leesy’ being back is really good news for us as a club and good news for him as well. It’s been a long-awaited return. So, it’s the start of his journey back to peak of his powers, no doubt.
“…He’s a guy who prides himself on the 1%ers and doing the fundamentals really well, which we’ve been honing in on during this turbulent and challenging time with all the injuries. So, it’s exactly what we need.
“Being the captain as well, he’s led by example, by his actions and we really welcome him back.”
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One man who won’t be joining Lees on the field this week is Shane Wright, who was absent from the side’s 21-man squad announcement earlier this week.
Wright failed a HIA in the Good Friday win over Wigan Warriors, and subsequently missed the Challenge Cup clash with Catalans.
The former Salford man was expected to return this week, but has had a minor set-back in his return to play.
Explaining Wright’s current status, the boss said: “[He’s] just another week on the back of his HIA.
“He just took a bit of a knock as well. So, the HIA was irrelevant, really. He just needed a couple of games off.”
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