St Helens are hopeful that Nene Macdonald\u2019s injury is not as bad as first feared \u2013 with coach Paul Rowley revealing he even has an \u2018outside chance\u2019 of being fit for Saturday\u2019s game with Catalans Dragons.<\/p>\n
Macdonald left the field with a leg injury during the Saints\u2019 victory over Leigh Leopards on Friday night, with Rowley initially admitting he was fearful of a longer term absence given how Macdonald rarely leaves the field with injuries.<\/p>\n
But it looks as though there will be a rare injury boost for the Saints, with Macdonald\u2019s problem settling down quickly and leaving the club optimistic of only a short-term absence.<\/p>\n
Speaking on his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Rowley refused to rule out the prospect of him even making the trip to Catalans on Saturday but said if he falls short of that deadline, it will not be too long before he is back in action.<\/p>\n
THE LRL PODCAST: LISTEN AND WATCH NOW \u2013 YouTube<\/a> | Spotify<\/a> | Apple Podcasts<\/a><\/p>\n He said: \u201cWe\u2019re still waiting on Nene\u2019s injury to settle down slightly. We couldn\u2019t really give you any clarity on that just yet. Hopefully it\u2019s okay and not too long. He\u2019s got an outside chance I\u2019d say, for Saturday.\u201d<\/p>\n As revealed by Love Rugby League on Tuesday, veteran Jonny Lomax has gone in for surgery on a dislocated wrist and is expected to be missing for the next two months.<\/p>\n But there is better news elsewhere. Centre Mark Percival is back running and close to returning to full training, while young forwards Jake Wingfield and Noah Stephens are also closing in on a return \u2013 with next week earmarked as a possible date.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s running today,\u201d Rowley said of Percival. \u201cHe\u2019s started dipping his toe in with the team and integrating with us. Not so much in terms of getting involved in the chaos, but he can\u2019t be far off. He\u2019ll be in a position to be in full training in the next week or two and it\u2019ll all move pretty quickly from there.\u201d<\/p>\n On Stephens and Wingfield, Rowley said: \u201cThey\u2019re both injured. They\u2019d have been useful over the last two weeks. I\u2019d hope another one to two weeks. We were pushing for this week and they\u2019ve trained but I\u2019m not sure yet. They might just run out of time.\u201d<\/p>\n TUESDAY\u2019S READS ON LRL<\/p>\n Exclusive: St Helens dealt major Jonny Lomax blow as long-term lay-off confirmed<\/a><\/p>\n Exclusive: Mark Percival update as St Helens star closes in on Super League transfer<\/a><\/p>\n