MATTY LEES saw first-hand just how bad St Helens’ early-season injury crisis got – having helped several of his team-mates into ambulances.
The England prop’s first season as Saints captain got off to the worst possible start when he suffered a knee injury in their third-round Challenge Cup win at Workington Town.
In his ten weeks on the sidelines, he watched player after player join him on their injury list, and had the job of helping some make their way for treatment.
“Every week that went by there was someone else,” Lees told League Express.
“Because I was watching, I was putting people in an ambulance every week.
“I was carrying the bags, making sure they had everything with them. It was a running joke.
“I wasn’t really watching the game; I was making sure the lads were alright and had their belongings for going to hospital.
“We had Jack Welsby’s (shoulder) injury in round one, then Jonny Lomax (wrist) was the same and Jacob Host (broken leg). All three of them ended up in ambulances with serious, long-term injuries.
“It’s one of the worst starts we’ve had over the years with injuries, but we’ve used that adversity to our advantage and hopefully all the bad luck is out of the way now.”
By the time Lees returned, the Thursday before last against Hull FC, St Helens were joint-top of Super League, where they remain alongside Leeds Rhinos after Saturday’s 18-12 victory over Wakefield Trinity.
“I was really impressed that we managed to scrape some wins,” said Lees, who is currently enjoying a testimonial year, with his next event on Tuesday, May 5, when he hosts an evening at the BrewDog Stadium with club greats Keiron Cunningham, Chris Joynt and Paul Sculthorpe.
“Our performances weren’t the best but a win is a win and we kept knocking them off.
“We had that hiccup at Hull KR, a heavy (52-10) loss, but that’s a tough place to go. The lads have done really well.
“It’s done the younger boys good – Jake Davies has been playing bigger minutes, as have Noah Stephens and George Delaney.
“So have the experienced blokes too – with me and Al (Alex Walmsley) missing, David Klemmer was pumping out 80-minute performances, so I’ve been really impressed with him and what he’s brought to hold the team together.
“It’s exciting to think about what we could be like when we have a full team every week and get some minutes together.”