St Helens to do without surprise absentee in Grand Final rematch

There was a lot of positivity going into the game against Catalans from a St Helens point of view.

The Champions just battered Leeds 42-12 last week and were welcoming back Sione Mata’utia and James Bell into the squad for the clash.

Even the loss of Will Hopoate didn’t seem too detrimental as Jon Bennison starred at fullback last week.

Adding to the positivity, Saints haven’t lost to the Dragons in 2022 ending Catalans’ Challenge Cup hopes and beating them in the opening game of the season creating a gap between the top two.

However, already without the likes of Lewis Dodd and Will Hopoate, St Helens will be without another key player.

Since switching Leeds for St Helens at the end of last season, Konrad Hurrell has been back to his best and formed a brilliant relationship with Tommy Makinson on the Saints’ right.

Last week against the Rhinos, Hurrell got over for two tries and has been a real attacking threat all season scoring on debut against Catalans earlier this season.

However, he won’t figure in today’s game against Catalans with Sione Mata’utia starting at centre alongside Ben Davies in his place.

Right now, the reason behind his absence is unclear but could be revealed by Kristian Woolf prior to kick off.

Whether it’s as consequence to the horrific shot from former teammate Zane Tetevano last week is unknown.