LEAGUE EXPRESS previews St Helens’ 2022 season – and we ask whether their run of tremendous success can continue.
THE DEPARTURES
St Helens have lost some key members of their 2021 squad, including two of their successful spine in Lachlan Coote and Theo Fages, as well as Harry Sunderland Trophy winner Kevin Naiqama, whose two superbly-taken tries in the Grand Final defeat of Catalans Dragons were decisive in winning that vote.
It’s probably fair to say that Coote, a three-time Grand Final winner with Saints, was forced out by salary cap pressure.
He has joined Hull KR while Fages, who suffered injury at a crucial time of the season last year, has been released to join Huddersfield because of the presence of Lewis Dodd, who took over the scrum-half role in the latter part of the season.
One player Saints surely didn’t want to lose was James Bentley, who had reached peak form since his move from Bradford in 2018. He will be a significant loss for the club after his departure to Leeds.
Backrower Joel Thompson has retired after spending just one season at the Totally Wicked Stadium and not being selected for the Grand Final, while hookers Aaron Smith and Josh Eaves will both spend 2022 elsewhere, with Eaves heading to Newcastle Thunder on a full-time contract and Smith joining Leigh on a season-long loan. Tom Nisbet also joins the Centurions while fellow winger Nico Rizzelli has quit the game to pursue other career opportunities.
THE NEW SIGNINGS
Saints have made five significant additions – all of them being overseas players, with three coming direct from the NRL, while two arrive from rival English clubs.
The two most familiar faces for Super League supporters will be Konrad Hurrell, who joins from Leeds, and James Bell, from Leigh.
Hurrell who played 52 Super League games for Leeds in three seasons at Headingley, scoring 23 tries, will hope to replace Naiqama in the centres for Saints, where he will do battle with the established Mark Percival and his fellow newcomer Will Hopoate, who joins from Canterbury Bulldogs.
Hopoate has played 184 NRL matches for Manly Sea Eagles, Parramatta Eels and Canterbury since making his debut in 2011, scoring 45 tries. He can also play wing or fullback and he is the only new signing to be given a squad number (three) in the top 13.
Saints’ three forward signings include former Salford hooker Joey Lussick from Parramatta. He will be the understudy to veteran skipper James Roby and can expect plenty of game time as Roby’s career slowly winds down. He played 48 Super League games for Salford in 2019 and 2020, but he only had five games for Parramatta in 2021.
Curtis Sironen is another major NRL signing from Manly and he will be expected to replace Thompson and Bentley in Saints’ back row. Sironen has played 131 NRL games for Wests Tigers and Manly since making his debut in 2012, scoring 15 tries.
Loose-forward Bell had an outstanding season for Leigh in 2021, despite their relegation, appearing 18 times and scoring one try. A Scotland international born in New Zealand, he played two games for New Zealand Warriors in 2017 before joining Toulouse for the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
Saints have also made one Championship signing in winger Danny Hill from Widnes.
Hill, 19, is a work in progress, having made only six appearances for the Vikings in 2021, scoring one try.
THE SPINE
One of Saints’ greatest strengths in recent seasons has been the consistency of their spine.
But this year, with the departure of Coote and Fages, it is set to change, although it would be difficult to contend that it will be weakened.
Young sensation Jack Welsby has been given Coote’s number one shirt, while Dodd takes Fages’ number seven after playing 21 games, including twelve starts, in 2021.
Both of those youngsters look like good bets to feature in Shaun Wane’s England squad for the World Cup this year.
Jonny Lomax and Roby retain the number six and nine shirts respectively, although they are aged 31 and 36 respectively.
Roby announced his retirement from international Rugby League last year and in 2021 there was little sign of age catching up with him, but it is fair to suggest that his understudy, who appears to be new recruit Lussick, will get plenty of opportunities in 2022.
Saints seem relatively short of experienced back-up for their halfback positions, however, and should Lomax and Dodd suffer any significant injuries this season, especially at the same time, coach Kristian Woolf could struggle to fill the gap.
THE PACK
According to the squad numbers, the Saints front row will remain as last year, with Alex Walmsley, Roby and Matty Lees again wearing eight, nine and ten respectively.
Morgan Knowles has also retained the number 13 shirt, but, with the departure of Thompson and Bentley, Sione Mata’utia and Joe Batchelor have been promoted into the starting line-up after both players had impressive seasons in 2021.
According to the squad numbers, the Saints bench is likely to include a combination of Lussick, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Sironen, Agnatius Paasi, Kyle Amor, Bell, Jake Wingfield and Dan Norman, which gives Woolf an embarrassment of riches if he is intending to stack his replacements with forward talent.
Some of those players will surely find themselves turning out for the club’s Reserve side or even going out on loan if Saints avoid any serious injury worries.
THE THREEQUARTERS
The only change to the squad numbers for Saints’ threequarters is Hopoate taking the number three shirt that has been vacated by Naiqama, which suggests that the former NRL Bulldogs star will partner Percival in the centres.
Percival has a recent history of hamstring problems, but he was able to play 17 games in 2021 as opposed to only four in 2020 and he will be hoping for another injury-free season.
The obvious alternative candidate for Percival’s spot will be Hurrell, newly signed from Leeds and who will wear the number 23 shirt in 2022.
Hurrell will surely be hoping to impress his coach Woolf, given that he will also coach Tonga in the World Cup later in the year.
Another challenger for a first-team spot will be Josh Simm, who made his first-team debut for Saints in 2019 and has now made eleven Super League appearances in total. He will celebrate his 21st birthday in February and will want to advance his career significantly in 2022.
THE YOUNGSTERS
As always, there are a host of young players at Saints who are bubbling just beneath the surface, although Welsby (aged 20) and Dodd (19) have already broken through into the top 13 squad numbers, while Wingfield (20) takes squad number 19 after making seven appearances in 2021.
Jon Bennison (19), who made one first-team appearance in 2021, is widely tipped to have a great future, while Woolf has given squad numbers to four players – Lewis Baxter, Hill, Jumah Sambou and Taylor Pemberton, who have yet to make a first-team appearance, although as mentioned above, Hill does have experience with Widnes.
A REALISTIC AIM FOR 2022
St Helens won the Super League Grand Final in the most thrilling way possible in 2020, with a last-second try by Welsby against Wigan, and last year they won it again by only two points against Catalans after having done the Challenge Cup double with a Wembley victory against Castleford.
The only trophy they didn’t win in 2021 was the League Leaders’ Shield.
And now, once again, they are the favourites to triumph at Old Trafford. Most Saints fans will think it perfectly realistic for their club to win all three trophies in 2021 and it would take a brave fan of any other club to contradict them.
Squad numbers: 1 Jack Welsby, 2 Tommy Makinson, 3 Will Hopoate, 4 Mark Percival, 5 Regan Grace, 6 Jonny Lomax, 7 Lewis Dodd, 8 Alex Walmsley, 9 James Roby, 10 Matty Lees, 11 Sione Mata’utia, 12 Joe Batchelor, 13 Morgan Knowles, 14 Joey Lussick, 15 Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, 16 Curtis Sironen, 17 Agnatius Paasi, 18 Kyle Amor, 19 Jake Wingfield, 20 James Bell, 21 Josh Simm, 22 Ben Davies, 23 Konrad Hurrell, 24 Dan Norman, 25 Matty Foster, 26 Sam Royle, 27 Jon Bennison, 28 Lewis Baxter, 29 Danny Hill, 30 Jumah Sambou, 31 Taylor Pemberton
Ins: Will Hopoate (Canterbury Bulldogs), Joey Lussick (Parramatta Eels), Curtis Sironen (Manly Sea Eagles), James Bell (Leigh Centurions), Konrad Hurrell (Leeds Rhinos), Danny Hill (Widnes Vikings)
Outs: Lachlan Coote (Hull Kingston Rovers), Kevin Naiqama (Sydney Roosters), Theo Fages (Huddersfield Giants), Joel Thompson (retired), James Bentley (Leeds Rhinos), Aaron Smith (Leigh Centurions – season-long loan), Josh Eaves (Newcastle Thunder), Tom Nisbet (Leigh Centurions), Nico Rizzelli (released)
Coaching team
Head Coach: Kristian Woolf
Assistant Coach: Paul Wellens
Assistant Coach: Ian Talbot
Head of Strength and Conditioning: Matt Daniels
Head Physio: Nathan Mill
First Team Physio: Charlie Wilton
Sports Scientist: Ben Edwards
Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach: Adam Daniels
Club Doctor: Simon Perritt
Matchday Club Doctor: Paul Stockton
Welfare & Education Manager: Neil Kilshaw
Club management
Chairman: Eamonn McManus
Chief Executive: Mike Rush
Finance Director: Colin Whitehead
Marketing Manager: Mark Onion
Sales Manager: Yvonne Millett
General Manager: Dave Hutchinson
Head of Media and Content: Jamie Allen
Club Colours
Home Shirt: White and red with the iconic Red Vee
Away Shirt: The design features an icy mint green vee on a black base, with a disruptive, style pattern across the front of the shirt and into the sleeves
Betfred odds to win the Grand Final: 2/1
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