ST HELENS 40 YORK KNIGHTS 16
KASEY SMITH, BrewDog Stadium, Friday

ST HELENS eventually sealed a fourth consecutive league victory, pulling clear of a spirited York side in the late stages, though the final scoreline didn’t fully reflect how closely contested the match had been.

Despite winning just once in their last five outings going into the game, York were far from pushovers. Even during this difficult spell, they pushed strong opposition close – falling to a narrow one-point defeat against Wigan and losing by just eight to Warrington.

Saints would have been unwise to underestimate Mark Applegarth’s side, particularly after their opening-day victory over reigning champions Hull KR.

York faced further adversity, naming just a 17-man squad due to the severity of their injury crisis. When Saints struck early, and quickly added two more, the contest appeared to be heading in only one direction. Yet York refused to fold and defied expectations again.

While victory would not have taken them top, as Leeds didn’t slip up against Wakefield, Paul Rowley’s men did what they need to, but it was far from a walkover.

Early on, St Helens won the territory battle, but there was little to separate the two sides. That was until Bill Leyland sparked into life, the returning loanee darting over from dummy-half under the posts, much to the dismay of the Knights.

York’s indiscipline proved costly, and Saints doubled their lead following a superb looping pass from Jackson Hastings, allowing Owen Dagnall to stroll over with ease.

Settling into their rhythm, Saints began to make it look effortless. Another stray arm gifted them a penalty, and the outcome felt inevitable. Hastings shifted the ball to Nene Macdonald, who drew out his defender before slipping a perfect pass to Dagnall for his second try.

York’s response came with alarming ease. Kyle Feldt – who later failed an HIA – couldn’t gather the Knights’ towering kick and Cody Hunter slipped a pass to Jesse Dee, who surged through, brushing past Hastings who was caught flat-footed.

Hunter was involved again at the centre of the action when his delicate chip towards the line sent the tenacious Dee surging through once more. With Dagnall flapping at the kick, Dee capitalised, finishing the move and cutting St Helens’ lead back to a single score just before the break at 16-10.

York dominated possession throughout the second half but couldn’t quite turn pressure into points. A Sailor 40/20 helped Saints wrestle momentum back, after the hosts were repeatedly forced to defend their own line. The physical presence of Alex Walmsley proved decisive, as he powered over, wounding York at a crucial time.

Saints edged further ahead via a Hastings penalty, leaving York needing a minor miracle to salvage anything from the game.

Jack Welsby secured the perfect return as he scored their fourth, having been introduced off the bench following his lengthy injury lay-off.

Jake Davies then put the icing on the cake, pouncing on a loose ball to score a length-of-the-field try on the day his contract extension was announced, and there was still time for Macdonald to get in on the act late on.

Scott Galeano scored with 14 seconds left, capturing York’s fighting spirit, but in the end it wasn’t enough.

GAMESTAR: Tristan Sailor wasn’t directly involved in Saints’ scores, but he broke the line on a number of occasions and that 40/20 was a real momentum swinger.

GAMEBREAKER: Jack Welsby’s try well and truly shut the door on a York comeback.

HIGHLIGHT REEL: Tristan Sailor’s sublime 40/20 kick came after York had Saints on the ropes, and it resulted in an Alex Walmsley try to restore their three-score lead.

ALBERT GOLDTHORPE POINTS
3 pts Tristan Sailor (St Helens)
2 pts Alex Walmsley (St Helens)
1 pt Jesse Dee (York)

MATCHFACTS

SAINTS
6 Tristan Sailor
2 Kyle Feldt
3 Harry Robertson
25 Nene Macdonald
24 Owen Dagnall
7 Jonny Lomax
31 Jackson Hastings
8 Alex Walmsley
33 Bill Leyland
10 Matty Lees
12 Shane Wright
16 Matt Whitley
13 David Klemmer
Subs (all used)
1 Jack Welsby
15 George Delaney
21 Noah Stephens
28 Jake Davies
18th man (not used)
30 Tom Humphreys
Also in 21-man squad
9 Daryl Clark
17 George Whitby
22 Joe Shorrocks

Tries: Leyland (12), Dagnall (16, 19), Walmsley (62), Welsby (68), Davies (68), Macdonald (77)
Goals: Hastings 6/8

KNIGHTS
46 David Nofoaluma
23 Jon Bennison
21 Kieran Buchanan
35 Myles Harrison
5 Scott Galeano
6 Ata Hingano
37 Cody Hunter
8 Jack Martin
9 Paul McShane
10 Paul Vaughan
27 Matty Foster (D)
12 Jesse Dee
29 Sam Cook
Subs (all used)
14 Denive Balmforth
15 Xavier Va’a
16 Justin Sangaré
47 Ben Littlewood
Also in 18-man squad
20 Oli Field

Tries: Dee (29, 37), Galeano (80)
Goals: Hunter 2/3

SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 12-0, 16-0, 16-6, 16-10; 22-10, 24-10, 28-10, 34-10, 40-10, 40-16

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Saints: Tristan Sailor; Knights: Jesse Dee

Penalty count: 9-6
Half-time: 16-10
Referee: Liam Rush
Attendance: 10,342