After two more St Helens players picked up injuries this weekend, their absentee list has now reached a huge 14 players.
Shane Wright and Agnatius Paasi were just some of the players to pick up bumps and bruises over the weekend, as they add to the ever-increasing injury list Paul Rowley is currently dealing with.
As it stands, the club’s squad numbers one, two, four, seven, eight, 10, 11 and 12 are all sidelined, and there are six more players to add to that – highlighting just how bad the situation is for the Red Vee.
In what is good news for the club, some players are expected to return this week, however some are still weeks if not months away from a comeback, so last year’s semi-finalists will have to do it tough for a little while longer.
Following the blows to Wright and Paasi, here is a full injury run-down at St Helens, and it just goes to show how well the club have done over the past month when you consider just how many players they have unavailable to them.
St Helens injury update after latest blows
Going in squad number order, Jack Welsby suffered a dislocated shoulder in the opening round of Super League. He was said to be out for three to four months at the time, so his date for return is quite wide as it stands. Next week will mark two months since his injury took place, and he is expected to be back between mid-May and mid-June.
Kyle Feldt has been suspended for the past three matches after picking up the hefty charge in the Challenge Cup win over Castleford Tigers. He will return this week, likely in the place of Owen Dagnall.
Mark Percival featured in the club’s defeat to Hull KR at Craven Park but missed the Good Friday win over Wigan. The club confirmed that the centre picked up an injury in that game against the Robins, but did not specify on what the injury was or when he is likely to be back so it is unclear if he will be available this week against Catalans Dragons in the Challenge Cup.
Half-back Jonny Lomax dislocated his wrist in the round two win over Leigh. He was expected to be out for around 10 weeks, which would mean a return date of this weekend if everything has gone to plan.
Another soon-to-be returnee, Alex Walmsley is five weeks into a six-week layoff after the prop suffered a foot injury in early March. The prop was a key part of Saints’ success last year, and will be hoping to hit the ground running upon return.
Fellow prop Matty Lees suffered an MCL injury in the opening round of the Challenge Cup against Workington. Usual timeframes for MCL injuries would be around 10-12 weeks, which would bring him to the end of April, meaning there is potential to see him back on the field this month.
Curtis Sironen’s calf injury will see him sidelined for a total of six weeks, all being well. His injury occurred in the Cup win over Castleford, meaning he is three weeks into his recovery.
As mentioned, Shane Wright was one of two Saints players injured this week. The former Salford man failed a HIA, meaning he will miss the game against Catalans this week but should return the following week against Hull FC.
Jacob Host is out for four months with a broken leg. That injury happened in the win over Bradford a month ago, so Host has a fair bit of time left before he is back to being 100%.
Like Percival, George Delaney missed the derby win over Wigan on Good Friday, after picking up a knock against KR. No details of his injury have been revealed by the club as yet.
George Whitby failed a HIA in the win over Toulouse in round five. The young half-back has been missing since that game, and was not included in the club’s 21-man squad to face Wigan.
Agnatius Paasi suffered a nasty looking hamstring injury just minutes into the Good Friday derby. There is no details on the severity of his injury, with those details expected to be confirmed as the week progresses.
Hooker Jake Burns will be out for the long-term after an ankle injury in the Cup win over the Tigers. He is set to be out for up to four months, meaning he could be waiting until mid-July to make his comeback.
Nene MacDonald has been struggling with injury through the start of the season, and in March had surgery to try and finally solve the ongoing issue. He is set to return at the end of this month, if not early May as a result.
