St Helens star avoids yellow card for high tackle

Sione Mata’utia has dodged a yellow card as St Helens battle Catalans Dragons tonight knowing they will take on the winners of Wigan Warriors and Hull KR should they claim the win.

The incident came in the first half as he caught Sam Tomkins. The initial hit looked bad but was proven to be fine.

He made contact with the shoulder but he was in trouble for the contact he made on the ground with a swinging arm.

However, with the home fans expecting a yellow card, the second row avoided a sit down but the Saints did concede two points via the penalty.

The clash is a repeat of the 2021 Grand Final of which Saints won 12-10 however this is a much-changed St Helens side with their point scorers that night, Lachlan Coote and Kevin Naiqama, no longer with the club.

Friday night could also see a changing of the guard among the current squad as it could well be the final ever game for James Roby and Louie McCarthy Scarsbrook, both of whom will retire at the end of the current season.

Whether Saints or Catalans win in Perpignan on Friday night it will mark the final ever game for one of Super League’s greats as Dragons’ stand-off Sam Tomkins is also set to retire, meaning one of Roby or Tomkins will get their ‘Last Dance’ at Old Trafford and the other’s career will sadly end on Friday.

It also could be the final game representing Les Dracs for many other players with Mitchell Pearce also set to retire whilst Mikael Goudemand, Adam Keighran, Tyrone May and Matt Whitley are all confirmed as leaving the Gilbert Brutus at the end of the season.

Neither team enter the game with any suspension issues after Saints star Alex Walmsley avoided a ban for his high shot against Warrington Wolves last week, whereas the Dragons are coming off a bye week themselves.