Wellens gives update on three St Helens stars ahead of must-win match

St Helens head coach Paul Wellens has provided an injury update ahead of his side’s crucial clash against Leigh Leopards on Friday night.

Saints come into the game knowing a win, and a loss for Salford, would secure fourth.

However, a win for Saints and a win for Salford, or a draw for Saints, could mean fifth.

They could, in theory, even drop out of the play-off spots, however – making this an important game for his side.

Wellens gives update on three St Helens stars ahead of must-win match

In the pre-match press conference, Wellens provided an update on hooker Daryl Clark, who has had a number of injury problems this year: “He potentially could start, yeah – but obviously I’ve been delighted with Jake Burns and his contribution as well.

“The way Jake Burns has been playing, I have no hesitation in picking him in, if we need to.

In addition, Wellens said: “There is a chance that Moses Mbye will return this week. Obviously, he was suspended last week but he has been carrying a few niggles, which we just need to get assessed. So there’s also a chance that Moses could play as well.”

He also provided an update on Curtis Sironen, saying: “He’s got a chance for the first round of the play-offs, yeah. He’s with physios at the moment, we’re hoping that he’ll reintegrate with the squad next week.

“We’re doing everything that we can in terms of getting him back in contention to play.

“As we know with those calf type injuries, the very nature of them, things can change very quickly. We’ll be sensible with him, but hoping that we can get him back in contention.”

Sironen had previously been expected to be back sooner, but a further set-back means he’s in a race against time to return for play-off fixtures.

Wellens then admitted: “There are some decisions that I need to make in the coming 24 hours but I can’t see there being too much difference to the 21 from last week.

“The decisions were really challenging a number of weeks back because of the situation we found ourselves in.

“The decisions this week are equally as challenging, but more so because we’ve got a lot of players who are all back in contention.

“It’s obviously a more pleasing situation to be in from a coaching perspective, but ultimately I keep bringing it back to performance.

“Regardless of whether you’re missing players or not, the team has a responsibility to go out there and perform, and as I’ve already mentioned, we want to improve on our performances in the recent weeks.”