Former St Helens captain Jon Wilkin has claimed that it is “impossible” for the club to head into the Super League play-offs with any confidence as he highlighted his concerns after their defeat to Warrington Wolves.
The 16-2 victory for Warrington meant that Wire managed to do the treble over St Helens this season, a feat that’s even more impressive when you consider that they had not won three consecutive games against the Red Vee since 1954.
That 70-year record fell yesterday as Wire got home in a tense affair that was consumed by early cards and the narrative of players ‘milking’ penalties.
Jon Wilkin was among those to address the issue as he took to calling out Josh Drinkwater after the Australian half stayed down following minor contact from Matty Lees.
The former St Helens captain let loose at half-time over the incident but post-game, his attention turned to his old club and the situation they face going into the final two games of the regular season and the play-offs, should they make it.
They have been backed to make it by Jon Wells but they can’t afford to slip up in either of their remaining games against Castleford Tigers and Leigh Leopards.
Jon Wilkin outlines the major problem if St Helens make the play-offs
Credit: John Clifton/SWpix.com
Assessing the chances of St Helens if they do make the play-offs, Jon Wilkin doesn’t hold much faith as he’s argued that it is “impossible” to enter the post-season with ‘any confidence’.
Speaking on Sky Sports, he explained: “They’ve got no ability to gain any momentum now so they’re going to have to go in cold with players who haven’t played enough and that’s their challenge.
“To go into play-offs, limping in as Jon Wells said, and actually go into that with any confidence is impossible.”
Fellow pundit Wells argued that Paul Wellens‘ side will not be feared in the same way that they previously have been, noting: “I don’t think that they’ll have that aura around them that they’ve had over the last three or four seasons, I think that’s gone and I think that’s a focus now on other teams that are coming home with a wet sail.”
Despite that, Wells did make it clear that he believed St Helens would make the play-offs which is a bold call given the fact they will have to play in-form Leigh on the road in their final game of the season, a match that could well be ‘Win and In’.
Currently, St Helens sit sixth on 28 points, the same tally that seventh-placed Leeds Rhinos have. If the season were to end as the standings currently sit, Saints would meet Warrington at the Halliwell Jones Stadium once again in the first round of the play-offs.
