PAUL Wellens hopes that St Helens’ win over Wigan last Monday will kick-start their season as they enter its final bend with just five matches of the regular season remaining.
Amid a frustrating campaign blighted by injuries and poor form, Saints beat their nearest rivals at Langtree Park 22-16, with winger Adam Swift, returning from a dual-registration loan spell at Whitehaven, scoring two tries.
“The result is the shot in the arm we needed because our supporters will agree that we’ve underperformed, especially at home,” said Wellens.
“We’ve not had a great season, but to get the win over Wigan will give everyone a boost.
“We’ve raised our standards and there’s no excuse for dropping below them again now.”
If Saints win at Catalan on Saturday and Hull KR fail to beat Wigan on Friday night, Saints will be fifth this time next week – the position that Leeds have won the competition from in the last two seasons.
“That just goes to show that a couple of good wins can change things,” said the former Great Britain fullback.
“We want to go to Catalan and play well and build on last week, and we want to focus on our performance. We showed on Monday that we can be a match for any side.”
By RICHARD de la RIVIERE
