ST HELENS head coach Paul Wellens has revealed that star forward Alex Walmsley is “second guessing if rugby league is the sport for him” following a serious injury that Wellens feels deserved to be punished.
Walmsley was one of four Saints players that suffered injuries during the club’s 12-10 loss to the Leigh Leopards in the Challenge Cup semi-final at the weekend.
Wellens has highlighted that the man responsible for the tackles that led to those injuries was Leigh man John Asiata, but he was cited on three occasions by the Match Review Panel and not banned.
For Wellens, he has “a real problem” with that as he listed the severity of the injuries sustained.
“On the weekend, we had four players injured by one player tackling in a reckless and dangerous manner,” Wellens said.
“One of those has a 50/50 chance of playing this weekend, that is Morgan Knowles. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook will not play for two weeks. Alex Walmsley is today having MCL surgery and will be out for 12 weeks and the fourth, Agnatius Paasi, has torn ankle ligaments and a torn mcl and also will undergo surgery to repair his ACL. He will not play for nine months.
“When we look at incidents like that and deem them legal and not find anything to charge them on then I have a real problem with it because ultimately as it has gone to show this weekend, tackling in that manner has serious consequences.”
For Paasi and Walmsley, the pair have been left “disappointed, angry and upset” according to Wellens, with Walmsley even questioning his time in rugby league.
“In Agnatius and Alex we have two disappointed, angry and upset players that have been left in this position and the game hasn’t protected them.
“Alex Walmsley is, at this time, second guessing whether rugby league is the sport for him and I understand why.
“We come down so hard on head injuries and we accept that charge (on Sione Mata’utia) this week but, as a player and someone who played the game a long time, that I would much rather be clipped around the head rather than have someone dive at my knees and blow them to bits.
“Are we taking some things more seriously than others?”
