Head Coach Paul Rowley speaks to the press ahead of his St.Helens side taking on Huddersfield Giants on Sunday afternoon in the closing game of Round 15 in the Betfred Super League.
Rowley talked about the Saints’ need to continue focusing on what they can control, despite dealing with adversity since the start of the season. Several key players, such as Matty Lees, Jonny Lomax and Jack Welsby, have been unavailable for long periods in the year, but Rowley believes the squad and staff have adapted well to those setbacks, even if performances have not always been as fluent as they would like.
He discussed the collective effort that has kept the team competitive during a period of significant change, both on and off the field.
Looking back on last week’s defeat to Warrington, Paul still felt the game was decided by a handful of important moments rather than a lack of effort. The challenge now is to improve decision making in key situations and aim to be consistent in performances.
Rowley warned the media against underestimating the Giants who have shown what they are capable of on an away day this season, pointing to the Giants’ victory at Wigan earlier in the year. While Huddersfield have faced their own injury problems, he expects a tough test and insists his team will approach the game with respect.
There were also updates on our injured players. Noah Stephens sadly looks to be facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering significant nerve damage in the away game at Castleford, with his exact timescale for recovery still unfortunately unclear. Deon Cross has undergone surgery on a ruptured bicep and looks likely to miss the rest of the season.
Rowley also paid tribute to Jonny Lomax following his recent jaw injury, describing him as a resilient character and refusing to rule out a return before the end of the campaign.
In positive news though, Jacob Host is back in full training and edging closer to a return after the broken leg he suffered early in the year.
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