JOE BATCHELOR will endure yet another period on the sidelines after being ruled out for around four weeks with a calf tear.
The back-rower suffered the injury in St Helens’ victory at Salford Red Devils last Sunday.
He has only made eight appearances so far this season and the Salford game was his first back from an eight-week lay-off with a hamstring issue suffered in the Good Friday derby.
Batchelor was limited to 19 appearances last season, and 17 in 2023, due to various injuries.
Saints coach Paul Wellens said: “It looks like about four weeks with a slight calf tear, so it’s not great news although the physios at first look were expecting it to be worse so we take a little bit of comfort from that.
“It’s really frustrating for him personally. Very few, if any, work as hard as Joe on a daily basis.
“I know how much he cares and how much he wants to be out there helping the team. If you saw his reaction to him going off at the weekend, that would be evidence of that.
“We’ll support him the best we can, and what we won’t do is take stupid risks.
“At the moment we’re thinking it’s a three-to-five-week timeframe, but given the fact it’s an injury following an injury if that needs to take five weeks we’re prepared to be patient.
“Once he is back, fit and firing, he can be a very important player for us.”
Saints have named fellow back-rower Curtis Sironen in their 21-man squad to face Leeds Rhinos on Friday night despite him suffering back spasms against Salford.
Wellens said of the Australian: “We’ll give him to the eleventh hour to see if he improves, but the signs at this moment in time aren’t looking good.”
George Whitby will definitely be sidelined after failing a head-injury assessment on Sunday, and Wellens suggested Moses Mbye will take his place at halfback.
He said: “Moses is the most natural choice. We had the option to move Harry Robertson to six, where he’s played before in the academy, but Moses went there at the weekend and acquitted himself well.”