{"id":105066,"date":"2025-08-31T14:40:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-31T14:40:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/105066\/"},"modified":"2025-08-31T14:40:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-31T14:40:14","slug":"jon-wilkin-suggests-st-helens-spine-solution-with-almost-revolutionary-idea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/105066\/","title":{"rendered":"Jon Wilkin suggests St Helens spine solution with ‘almost revolutionary’ idea"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Hull\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Former St Helens captain Jon Wilkin has made a \u2018revolutionary\u2019 suggestion for how the club can balance their spine in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n

Saints have had spine issues throughout the season though they had eased with a perfect solution seemingly found as they went on a run of nine wins in ten games, however, that has been bookended by losses to Hull KR.<\/p>\n

The defeat in May saw Jack Welsby limp off with the England full-back ruled out for eight of the ensuing ten games, playing a bit-part role in the ninth and a prominent role in the tenth, before then playing his third game since returning in Friday night\u2019s loss to Hull KR<\/a>.<\/p>\n

During that period when Welsby was out injured, Tristan Sailor reverted to full-back and St Helens seemed to find form with Sailor in particular thriving. Welsby\u2019s return from injury has added a spanner in the works with both men unable to play full-back.<\/p>\n

However, that might not be the case with Jon Wilkin suggesting an \u201calmost revolutionary\u201d system where both men could operate at full-back in lieu of a second half-back.<\/p>\n

St Helens urged to play two full-backs to solve Sailor Welsby dilemma<\/p>\n

Speaking ahead of St Helens\u2019 clash with Hull KR on Friday night, a game that the Red Vee lost 12-8 and saw Sailor play on the wing due to injuries to to Kyle Feldt and Owen Dagnall<\/a>, Wilkin put forward his ideal spine.<\/p>\n

He suggested Jack Welsby as the standard full-back with Sailor and captain Jonny Lomax in the halves, whilst Daryl Clark and Morgan Knowles completed the spine, however, he had different ideas for how Sailor would play.<\/p>\n

\u201cTristan Sailor looks at home at full-back and this is why I\u2019ve selected Welsby and Sailor. I think they play with two full-backs,\u201d suggested Wilkin.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they can revolutionise the concept of a half-back, a six and a one. I\u2019d play with two full-backs, that\u2019s both in attack and defence. I\u2019d let them both roll around the field, a bit like Dufty and Williams follow each other around.\u201d<\/p>\n

Expanding on his idea, he said:\u00a0\u201cLet Lomax and Knowles hold the middle of the field as Paul Wellens knows that his middle is tight. I\u2019d also defend them (Sailor and Welsby) there. I\u2019d just sent them both back there and play four (with the wingers).<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re great kick returners. It\u2019s different and almost revolutionary in some regards.\u201d<\/p>\n

One aspect that St Helens would lose would be Moses Mbye\u2019s kicking game and Wilkin accepted that but argued that each of the spine players who do play can improve their own kicking games.<\/p>\n

On losing Mbye, he said: \u201cThat\u2019s the one part of the plan that doesn\u2019t work but I feel if you\u2019ve got the experience of Lomax and Clark and you\u2019ve got Tristan Sailor and Welsby, then they all have to be practicing their kicking game.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Former St Helens captain Jon Wilkin has made a \u2018revolutionary\u2019 suggestion for how the club can balance their…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":105067,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[5903,101,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-105066","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rugby","8":"tag-rugby","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105066","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105066"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105066\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105066"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105066"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}