Paul Wellens has provided a St Helens injury update and hinted at changes after defeat to Warrington Wolves, a game from which he’s questioned the team’s performance.
Speaking to the press following the Warrington defeat, Wellens provided an injury update: “We’re hoping Curtis [Sironen] isn’t too bad, he’s obviously got a bit of an ice pack on his elbow, so we’re going to have to get that checked out. Big Al [Walmsley] has a slight hamstring injury.
“With hamstrings, it’s never a case of ‘you’re going to be alright in four or five days’. So, we’re going to send Alex off for a scan and get a more detailed idea of what’s going on.”
With the performances of some players below-par and key names potentially out injured for their Super League fixture against Hull FC on Friday, Wellens said he’s assessing his options.
He noted: “I’m certainly going to have to look at what options are available. We’ve got a group of five or six players who jump in at the bit of an opportunity. Someone like Ben Davies, for example, has been 18th man most weeks and he’s desperate for a chance.
“I suppose what the message is, is that the onus is on the people with the shirt to keep it. The team’s going to be picked on form and players who are not quite doing it have to understand that being at this club, there’s a standard that you need to have when you’re pulling this jersey.
“The emotions are kind of riding high at the moment, so I don’t want to sit here and say that I’m going to be dropping four, five, six players.
“One of the things I’ve got to do is think about the team next week and what’s best. There’s also a school of thought that the guys who are disappointed go off to make amends, but I thought that was the case this week. So, a lot of thinking for me to do over the next few days, I won’t make decisions based on emotion.”
St Helens in need of improvements
Credit: Imago Images
Wellens has clearly been disappointed with Saints’ recent performances, but was careful not to lose his head:“What I do have to say is there’s still a group of players who I care about, there’s a group of players in there who I believe in.”
He continued: “Although this disappointment is huge, I do feel that we’re not a million miles off doing what we need to do to become that team again. Generally, that’s around getting the basics of the game right.”
He also highlighted that the performance was out of character from his side, before outlining what the recipe for success was.
“Well, it was concerning today, because we started to do things that go out of what we would normally do on the training field, and, we’re only going back a few weeks, people were talking about how impressive St Helens are defensively and how hard they are to break down, so that team is very much still there.
“We’ve got to get back out, practice harder, work harder, sacrifice more, because things don’t just happen for you, you’ve got to make them happen.”
St Helens face Hull FC at the Totally Wicked Stadium on Friday 19th April at 8pm and that game is available to watch on Sky Sports with details of that game and all other rugby league games on TV available here.
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