St Helens boss talks Lewis Murphy, Hull FC, and Jake Wingfield injury blow as replacement outlined

St Helens boss Paul Rowley is expecting Hull FC to come out firing this week following the ongoing saga between the club and John Cartwright.

Cartwright has been confirmed to exit the MKM Stadium at the end of the season, however his comments in the media this week have suggested that him and the club are not on good terms.

The boss said he felt “betrayed” and “disrespected” by how FC have managed the scenario, and given that the players are seemingly very fond of the 60-year-old, they are expected to put on an increased showing in support of their departing head coach.

Given the Black and Whites’ off-field sagas over the past week or two, it’s incredibly difficult to predict what side is going to show up when they take on Saints tonight, but that uncertainty hasn’t phased Rowley this week and he goes into the game expecting to face a top Hull side.

Speaking to the press on Wednesday afternoon, Rowley was asked how FC’s disruption affected Saints’ preparations this week, to which he revealed that he expects a response from Hull, so he knows Saints will need to be at their best.

“They’re professional players, so if things like this really change their approach and their attitude to the game, then I don’t think they’d be where they are.

“They’re a great team. They clearly enjoy working alongside the coach and we’ll be preparing for them in exactly the same way as we normally would and that’s being consistent in our actions and worrying about us.

“Hull are Hull, they’re a good team and a good club and we’ll respect them in that way.

“…Ultimately, we will prepare for a Hull F.C. side that’s a good team. They’ve got some great players in people like [Aidan] Sezer, [Sam] Lisone, [Zak] Hardaker, so they’ve got a lot of experience who are very, very destructive.

“This club, needs no introduction to James Bell. I’m a big fan of him in particular, so Hull have got a good team and we’ll be preparing for that.”

One man who will be lining up against the Saints this evening is Harry Newman, who joined FC from Leeds on a one week loan deal.

Asked if that switch caught him by surprise, Rowley said:  “Well, obviously we couldn’t have predicted that, but he certainly strengthens Hull.

“Like most loan players, they generally have something to say on the game, whether that be good, bad or indifferent. He’s just another threat that we need to keep our eye on.”

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St Helens boss reveals latest on recently-injured duo

Two men who won’t be taking to the field this week, and for the foreseeable future, are Lewis Murphy and Jake Wingfield, who both picked up serious injuries in the club’s Challenge Cup win over Catalans Dragons.

Rowley explained that Murphy is looking at “a couple of months” on the sidelines, whilst Wingfield has been confirmed to have suffered an ACL injury, meaning he will miss the rest of the season.

Commenting on Wingfield and how big a blow that is for both him and the team, the boss said: “Saints have got a history of players with bad luck.

“You go back to Gary Wheeler and people like that, some players just seem to get that bad luck, and unfortunately for Jake, he’s one of them.

“He’ll be in for his op, hopefully, at the end of next week, and he’ll be on his road to recovery soon enough. But yeah, it’s just unfortunate for him.”

Sticking to the ‘next man up’ mentality the club have adopted this season, the boss confirmed that in his place will come youngster Jake Davies, who will now get his opportunity for a more prominent role in the 17.

“He’s had some cameo roles at the beginning of the year,” Rowley said when asked if Davies would be Wingfield’s replacement. “They’ve increased in time and probably importance as well, so he’s proved to be really valuable for us.

“We’ve enjoyed having him around, and he’s really listened. He’s really been receptive, and to me, he’s looked really good. He’s looked very much a valid part of our squad, and he deserves his spot in the team.”