SAINTS’ strong running front rower Matty Lees gets the opportunity to force his way into the Wembley side when he makes his comeback from a broken ankle at Wakefield on Friday night.

The England Knights prop, who has been out of action since week three of the season, will play “shortened minutes” to prove his fitness this week.

Having agonisingly missed Wembley last time out in 2019, when he suffered an horrific perforated bowel injury the week before the final, Lees will be determined to force his way into the reckoning.

But coach Kristian Woolf understandably wants to make sure the 23-year-old prop can do it “at a certain level” before being thrown into the most unforgiving of arenas for underdone players.

Woolf said: “Matty is going to be on shortened minutes this week, but it is great to give him an opportunity and get him back on the field.

“We were all really happy with how he was going before he got injured, in the third game of the year.

“He was travelling really well and, along with Al, really leading our pack at that stage.

“He has worked hard to put himself in this position and is giving himself a real chance to be at his absolute best fitness wise and go out on the field.

“He gets an opportunity to go out on the field and fight for a spot in a bigger game the next week.”

In his absence Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook has been starting at prop with Agnatius Paasi and Kyle Amor coming off the bench.

Woolf is trying not to pile expectation on his returning packman, noted for his aggressive style, line speed and big engine.

“We don’t want to put too much pressure on Matty Lees straight away,” he said.

“He has had quite a significant injury and we are not expecting him to go out there and be exactly where he was in round three.

“What Matty Lees needs to do is what he does best.

“He is a tough bloke, who runs really hard and direct, challenges blokes to put themselves in front of him and he does the same when he hasn’t got the ball.

“He enjoys the contact, works really hard and defends well.

“If he can do a couple of those simple things in his position really well then he gives himself the chance of playing next week and that is what I know he wants to do.

“He has got to show that he can do it to a certain level this week and if he can, we know what sort of character he is and know he is the type of bloke you want in a big game but we need to know what level he is going to be at first.

“He gets a chance to show that this week.”