HARRY ROBERTSON insists defence is the top priority for St Helens, with Magic Weekend opponents Wigan Warriors considered a benchmark.

Saints have endured a rocky season so far under new coach Paul Rowley, who brought a reputation for attacking flair to the BrewDog Stadium but has been dogged for much of the season by injuries.

Top of Super League after winning nine of their first eleven, a recent run of three straight defeats saw them slip as low as sixth.

They head to Magic with the sixth-best attack and fifth-best defensive record, with the latter a particular focus for young centre Robertson.

He said: “Everyone knows he (Rowley) has got an attacking way of playing rugby, but you can only do that through your defence.

“Most people mistake us and think we’ve just gone full-out attack and maybe disregarded the defence. But we all know that you can’t get anywhere in this sport without a good defence.

“Wigan are the best team in the competition at the moment and won the Challenge Cup, and Hull KR were also in the final – they’re two massive defensive teams and we’d like to be up there with them. That’s our main goal before anything attack-wise.

“The best defensive teams usually win stuff and we’ve brought that up in meetings, that want to be in the top two defensively for points conceded in the competition, because usually they make the Grand Final.

“We’re not there at the moment but we are striving for it.”

Robertson was at the centre of controversy last week with his club denying a suggestion from Wakefield Trinity that they had made an approach to buy the centre.

Saints’ derby with Wigan – the third of at least four this season, following their astonishing 34-24 comeback win at home on Good Friday and a 32-0 defeat in the Challenge Cup semi-finals in Warrington – is the last Magic game on Sunday, and is set to have the biggest audience too.

St Helens have been leading the way for ticket sales – they are the closest club geographically to Liverpool’s Hill Dickinson Stadium, the first-time host – with Wigan third.

But they will be without Mark Percival and George Whitby, who have both succumbed to long-term injury, while Matt Whitley has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a wrist injury.

Centre Percival has a hamstring injury and is likely to be out for around eight weeks.

Meanwhile halfback George Whitby is set to undergo surgery on his knee, which could keep him out for the rest of the season.