Paul Rowley’s St Helens side suffered three more injuries in this evening’s 26-22 victory over Bradford Bulls.
After already having the likes of Jack Welsby, Matty Lees and Alex Walmsley on the sidelines, the Red Vee now have further injuries to contend with, as their forward pack continues to be decimated.
George Delaney was tackled high by Bulls’ Eliot Peposhi, meaning he was forced off for a HIA, which he then failed. That means he will miss next week’s Cup tie with Castleford Tigers at the very least.
Jacob Host also went off with help from the physios after looking to injure his right knee. The former South Sydney man looked in real agony after the tackle, and could be out for an extended period.
Lastly, Nene MacDonald also left the field just 25 minutes into the tie. He was replaced by Harry Robertson, and whilst his issue is currently unknown, the PNG international has been struggling with a thigh injury in recent weeks.
Commenting on his side’s turmoil, Rowley spoke to Sky Sports following the 26-22 victory – a game that saw three cards across both sides.
“We’re doing it tough at the minute,” he said with a sigh. “There’s some busted bodies and we got some more today, when it rains it pours.
“It’ll be challenging. We will see what next week brings and we’ll put some pieces in the jigsaw and see if we can put a team together.”
Impressed with his side’s effort and commitment, particularly whilst being depleted, he added:
“I’ve got to say, we’re also showing a lot of spirit as well. We go from top to bottom and we’ve starting to looking at [salary] cap and expensive players and the top half are probably missing at the minute.
“To have such sprit and commitment, it’s showing some really good signs for the team. It’s going to be a challenge, as we know, for the next couple of months, but if we’re there or thereabouts, all our boys will come back, so we always look on the positive side.”
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St Helens set for double injury boost as pair set for return
Asked who could potentially return in the coming weeks, Rowley revealed: “[Most are] all long term as you know.
“Wingy’s [Jake Wingfield] on the periphery of coming back. Percy’s [Mark Percival] coming back so they’ll be the two that put there hand up to start getting a run of games hopefully.”
Should he pass the relevant tests and assessments, Delaney will be back for Saints’ round five game against Toulouse later in the month.
