St Helens head coach Paul Rowley has stated that the initial prognosis for one injured star ‘doesn’t look good’ following his side’s win over Leigh Leopards.
Saints managed to grit out a 20-18 win against the Leopards despite losing Jonny Lomax and Nene Macdonald to injury inside the first 20 minutes, with Lomax’s night over after just five.
The playmaker was sent to hospital with a suspected dislocated wrist and speaking post match to Sky Sports, Paul Rowley confirmed as such with a lengthy lay-off now expected.
“We had some adversity, didn’t we with Jonny going off and Nene as well early doors, which made it really difficult,” Rowley explained.
Asked further on the issues, he said: “We’re keeping the hospitals in business at the minute. Jonny will be a long term for sure and Nene, we’ll just await the reports on that one but it doesn’t look good in the initial diagnosis.”
‘One of the best wins I’ve been involved with’ – Rowley hails St Helens’ grit
Macdonald had suffered a quad injury that saw Matt Whitley spend much of the game in the centres as Saints backs were shuffled all over the place, however, overcoming such issues was a highlight for Rowley.
He said: “I thought we showed two sides to our character today. A really tough and resilient side, which has been around for decades at St Helens but I also thought we made a little bit of a point of difference. We found a way to win.
“We played some good rugby at times as well. That is serious heart attack material for myself. I was pretty stressed there, but I’m very proud.”
“That’s probably one of the best wins I’ve been involved with as well, in my coaching career. There was a lot on the line for us there, and I’m really proud of the players.”
The win was also ensured Saints didn’t start the year with two losses on the bounce as Rowley explained that it wasn’t just external pressure that was driving the club.
He said: “The pressure’s internally, really, from ourselves. Obviously, we want to win. Everybody wants to get the first points on the board. It’s a new season. In particular, coming home to St Helens as well, you want to give the fans something to shout about.
“When it mattered, I thought that our fans really brought us home today, they were fantastic but again, I thought our players were tremendous. I thought they were really gritty, really resilient, and weren’t afraid to play as well.
“I thought we deserved the win. Like I say, I’m very proud of them.”
As for what he could enjoy from the game, the Saints boss admitted: “Nothing to enjoy about it, right until the last minute, I enjoyed that. Even then, I think it’s more of a relief.
“We’ll get in there and start counting the injured and the wounded and see what we’ve got for next week. Meanwhile, they will enjoy tonight, and they deserve to as well. I hope it was a good game to watch for the neutral. For us, it was pretty nerve-wracking.”
The Saints edge a thriller 😇#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/G1Vl4a65cO
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) February 20, 2026
