Kristian Woolf spoke to the media after his side emerged 0-42 victors over Wigan Warriors in their first derby clash of the year.
As a result, St Helens now move to the Super League summit. Woolf was delighted with Saints’ strong performance and attitude; “I thought our blokes were really good. They were really professional with how they went about it. It was always going to be that [tough] and we knew that they named a younger side but were going to play the game of their lives [to impress] and be physical. The best sign of our attitude tonight was the fact we didn’t allow any points in. They [Wigan] certainly had plenty of opportunities; there were a number of six agains that put us under pressure. I was happy with the result and how we went about our business. We did a really professional job.”
19-year-old Jack Welsby has been playing out-of-position on the flanks but received high-praise. Woolf spoke about the youngster: “He [Welsby] was really good tonight. He had a couple of real challenging plays and made some real smart decisions at different times. He’s just getting better as a player at this level and he’s coming along really well. He’s not a winger but he’s done a great job as a winger. We’ve just got to figure out where he fits within the side cause he’s done enough to stay. I’m really happy with what he’s doing.”
Lewis Dodd was one of 12 Super League debutants on Tuesday after he came on for James Roby in the latter stages and, as expected, Woolf believes Dodd delivered.
“He’s been knocking on the door for four or five weeks now. His chance did arrive but unfortunately, through no fault of his own, it was taken away. Tonight, he really showed that he belongs there and he’s got plenty of smartness with the ball in hand. He showed a lot of willingness to get in there and got involved defensively as well. It was great to be able to give him that opportunity.”
