Game of two halves, big selection calls, Man of Steel candidates and more St Helens v Wakefield Trinity Talking Points

St Helens have emerged victors in a thrilling game against Wakefield Trinity to go joint-top of Super League.

In a game of two halves, Saints went into the break 16-0 up, with tries from Tristan Sailor, Kyle Feldt and Jake Davies giving them that lead.

The second half saw Trinity get back into the tie with Tyson Smoothy and Caius Faatili reducing the deficit.

Jackson Hastings kicked a penalty goal to make the scores 18-12 with 15 to go, and that would turn out to be the final score with neither side able to add to that before the end of the game.

It was a game that certainly met the expectatitions of pre-match, and as a result it has left plenty of talking points from both sides.

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St Helens v Wakefield Trinity Talking Points

Saints go joint-top:

Yet again, the Red Vee find a way to win, and they continue to pick up points in different ways.

A solid first-half saw them pick up an insurmountable lead, albeit only being 16 points.

Saints’ pack proved too strong, but it was a brilliant physical battle by two of the best middle units in the competition.

Key selection calls:

Trinity were dealt a blow before the game even kicked off with winger Tom Johnstone out of the side through injury.

The England international is set to be back next week against Leeds, but Trinity could have done with his efforts out on the field this afternoon. Not only was his try-scoring ability a miss, but his work out of back-field and his ability to start Wakefield’s sets on the front foot.

Jayden Myers featured in his place, and whilst he wasn’t at fault for the defeat you have to think Daryl Powell would have preferred to have his starting man out there.

On the opposite side, Jonny Lomax made his return for the first time since round two. The half-back has been recovering from a dislocated wrist, but made an immediate impact, bagging a sublime assist from the ruck to send Kyle Feldt over in the corner,

Nene MacDonald could have made his return, having been named in the 21-man squad, however he wasn’t risked by boss Paul Rowley and will be in contention next week.

Big game experience:

Wakey’s lack of playing in big, crucial matches like these has again come back to bite them.

The same occured in their Challenge Cup exit to Wigan Warriors, and whilst this game will also prove as a learning curve, the West Yorkshire outfit need to be better in their game management and coming up with game-breaking moments when it matters most.

Far too many errors in good ball and poor last play decisions hampered Wakefield in both halves as they tried to level the game.

They will be better for it in the long-term, but Trinity will no doubt be seeing this game as a missed opportunity.

Saints pair in Man of Steel contention:

With the Man of Steel voting system chaning for 2026, it means that a five-man panel will sit and discuss an initial shortlist of players worth of that honour after performances in the opening third of the season.

We don’t know how many players will be named on the shortlist, but you’d expect two names to be at least in contention are Saints’ Tristan Sailor and Jackson Hastings.

Former Man of Steel Hastings has been in sensational form since returning to Super League, and his ability to guide his side around the field has gone a long way in Saints’ success this season.

With a storng kicking game that can turn defenders around and an eye for attack that has seen him rack up 11 assists so far.

Sailor meanwhile has switched from stand-off to full-back this season, but regardless of where he has played he has looked a completely different player to that of 2025.

Major May coming up:

Regardless of whatever result today would have provided, it’s fair to say both sides have proven they will be in the top six, if not top four race this season.

If either team are going to achieve that this year, you’d expect May to be a month that is crucial to their efforts.

Trinity have Leeds away, Catalans at home and Toulouse away, all of which are games that could be difficult if they don’t perform to their usual standard.

Meanwhile, Saints have a Challenge Cup semi-final and a trip to Wembley if they defeat Wigan. Should things go their way, Paul Rowley’s first piece of Silverware as Red Vee boss could come in the next few weeks.

The league fixtures see them take on York, Huddersfield and Castleford – three teams they are expected to beat. Doing just that and avoiding any slip-ups will be paramount given how competitve the league is this year.