St Helens head coach Paul Rowley has confirmed that another key starter has suffered a ‘long-term’ injury in another massive blow to the club.
Prop forward Alex Walmsley is the latest man to join the likes of Matty Lees (knee), Jack Welsby (shoulder) and Jonny Lomax (wrist) on the casualty list with Walmsley suffering a foot injury in the warm-up before Saints’ win against Catalans Dragons.
Rowley had confirmed post-match that Walmsley, who opted to play, was ‘playing on one leg at times’, but he confirmed to the media today (Tuesday) that his prop forward has actually suffered a foot injury that will require a lengthy lay-off.
No specific timescale was shared by Rowley though he did confirm that the veteran will not need surgery. An update has now come from the club putting the timescale at ‘around six weeks’.
Speaking to the media earlier, Rowley said: “We’ve probably lost Alex Walmsley now, so we’ll get more feedback on that, but he won’t be available this week.
“It won’t be a surgery job. It’ll be just time.”
St Helens boss explains Alex Walmsley injury
Further explaining the injury, Rowley confirmed that his prop will be in a boot for some time as a result to the foot damage suffered.
He joked: “It’s not like he’s the nimblest of little fellas, is he? So, if he’s got a foot injury, there’s a bit of weight going through it, and so we’ve just got to be careful with that one.”
It now means Saints are without two starting props in Lees and Walmsley but Rowley was keen to highlight the latter’s efforts in Perpignan.
He said: “He was fantastic at the weekend. He was clearly in pain, even from the warm-up, because, to be honest, we got a call in the warm-up saying he was no good, but the damage to his foot was in a way that if he played and he can handle the pain, then it wouldn’t do any further damage.
“He decided that he’d get through it, and he did, and I thought it was really important to contribute to the win.”
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Updates issues for Stephens, Wingfield and Percival
One man who could help replace Walmsley is Noah Stephens, who himself has been nursing an injury for the past few weeks.
Sharing an update, Rowley said: “Noah was in the 21, but he wasn’t available, so we’re still at a stage where we’re waiting to see, and just being careful with him.
“He’s never been far off. He’s had a good pre-season, and he was unfortunate with the injury really. It was badly timed for him. It’s certainly not a selection thing that kept him out of the team. It’s been injuries, so we’ll see how this week progresses with regards to that.”
Jake Wingfield and Mark Percival are others who falls into that category of being close but perhaps not close enough, with Rowley stating on Wingfield: “It’s always the same, coaches push one way, medical push another. We’ve got to try and find the right balance between risk and reward with all the players.
“Wingy has had a few injuries before, so we’ve got to be careful there. Both of them two players are probably the same line as last week. They’re not far, but whether this week comes too soon or not, we’re not quite sure at this point.”
As for Percival, he said: “He’s back in training with the full team, so it’s probably match fitness and we’ll make some decisions around that but he’s certainly not far off now and that’s great for the team.”
Rowley reported an otherwise clean bill of health with Nene Macdonald’s substitution put down to simple game management following his injury the week prior.
