Fiery James Bentley, Big Al always up for Leeds and Kristian Woolf's future

1. REMEMBER when Leeds Rhinos – featuring their golden generation of players - were Saints’ Super League nemesis?

A smattering of the relatively small band of travelling Leeds tried to remind Saints of that on Thursday night with a rendition of “Five times in a row”, but it tends not to have that same dagger to the red vee chests when the team is on a three in a row title streak.

How the worm turns. And it just shows that sport is cyclical, when the stars align and players of the calibre of Peacock, Burrow, McGuire and Sinfield come together there must have been a bond that kept them together despite the constraints of the salary cap.

History will judge that Saints have probably had similar with mainstays Messrs Roby, Lomax, Walmsley, Makinson, Percival et al underlining a comment that coach Kristian Woolf made last week about “every player being able to get more money elsewhere.”

Teams evolve but there is a clearly a special bond that keeps the nucleus together.

And that team has now stretched its winning streak over the Loiners to 11 games.

2. Saints’ 11-game winning run started on 15 June 2018 thanks to a late drop goal plundered by scrum half Danny Richardson at Headingley.

The same player, now in the halves at Castleford, did Saints a favour on Sunday when he nailed the golden point drop goal against title rivals Catalans Dragons.

It sent last year’s League Leaders Shield winners down to fourth with 22 points.

Saints lead the way with 28 points and a points difference of 234, ahead of Wigan on 24 (PD 133) and third-placed Huddersfield.

But all that could change over the course of the next three weeks with Saints playing Catalans away on Saturday, followed by Wigan at Magic the following week and then a home game with in-form Giants.

Too often we spend time speculating about who might go down, who is struggling and the very open battle for the last two places in the top six.

But the focus of the next month should be firmly on the top end elite clubs who are all making their own claim to be title contenders.

These are the games the players will get up for and ones that will showcase the elite of our sport.

It will also be a huge test of Saints’ mettle as they battle to stay in the driving seat for become the first side to win four in a row and better what Leeds did between 2007-09.

3. It was a night of mixed fortunes for the two Saints and Leeds players who swapped allegiances in the off-season – Konrad Hurrell and James Bentley.

Hurrell had a fine game – his first since signing a 12-month extension – less so Bentley.

Plenty of Saints fans joked about asking for odds before the game on what cards Bentley and fellow Leeds packman Zane Tetevano would receive.

The inevitable happened late in the game when Bentley received a yellow for stopping Big Al from taking a quick tap close to the Leeds line.

Tetevano had already seen red for a late, high tackle on Hurrell.

Bentley copped a bit of barracking as he left the field and one fan over-stepped the mark by throwing a bottle of pop at him.

Placing Bentley, version 2022, alongside the man who effectively replaced him - Joe Batchelor - makes for an interesting comparative study.

Batchelor has gone from strength to strength in the red vee, whereas Bentley has had a season where he has spent more time in the disciplinary than on the field.

It is unfortunate for Bentley, who had his last year at Saints wrecked by a broken leg and then a spinal injury.

He has not suddenly become a bad player – even if his disciplinary record is making him a liability. Once he gets that side of his game back in order and stops trying too hard to make an impression then he has a chance to be the player he was growing into in 2020.

For all that Saints owe their Grand Final success of that year to Jack Welsby’s chase and touchdown – second in the frame for that iconic moment was Bentley.

That was because his doggedness, snarl and willingness to chase everything was a key component of Saints not being bested up front by Wigan that year.

Players that do that in the red vee deserve more respect than having bottles thrown at them.

4. James Bentley’s professional foul did not really do much good, with Alex Walmsley scoring on the next play. It caused double trouble with Leeds centre Harry Newman subsequently finding himself in hot water for the hissy fit he threw at the referee for sending it up as a try.

It was the right call.

It was Big Al’s second try of the game and a just reward for a top-drawer game.

Maybe it is a result of Walmsley being an ex-Rhinos fan, who admitted to cheering them at some of the Grand Finals mentioned in Point 1, but he always turns into best mode when Saints play Leeds. You can look back through past games were the merest sniff of Blue and Amber has Big Al fired up and ready to rampage.

5. Will Hopoate missed out again after having another niggle post-Hull KR. After suffering a fractured rib cartilage on debut, Hopoate has subsequently had hamstring and leg niggles on three occasions meaning he has yet to string a run of games together in the red vee.

It is a real shame as the Tongan test player had enjoyed a fine game slotting in at full back against Rovers, combining with Jack Welsby and Jonny Lomax.

The 30-year-old had a solid record with injuries in the NRL, clocking up more than 150 first grade appearances in spell at Manly, Parramatta and for a much longer period with Canterbury Bulldogs.

He simply needs a bit of a break here and coach Kristian Woolf said he would be supported to get through this frustrating time.

Injuries happen in sport – but they are worse when they happen to newcomers trying to establish themselves.

Fans may recall Sia Soliola suffering a serious knee injury in 2010 after just two games in the red vee.

Saints kept faith and he came through as a real favourite over the next five years.

Players closer to home – Jonny Lomax and Mark Percival – have both had spells on the sidelines with injuries in their careers, but there was never any question of the club not looking after them.

And that is what Saints will do now to help Hoppa through this frustrating time.

6. Kristian Woolf has been dead-batting any questions on his future all season – and the longer the year goes on and the closer to expiry of his three-year contract the more they will come.

But you could see by the chants after last Thursday’s game that the fans want him to stay.

Speculation every week links the Tongan World Cup coach with a move back to Australia – but we live in hope.

However, one thing is noticeable when says: “I am committed to what I am doing at St Helens at the minute and I love what we are doing as a team.”

It is not just a fob off answer. He doesn't let things distract him from the job at Saints - not even when he is spinning the Tonga World Cup plates.

The fact that Saints have been so busy in the retention field for next year and beyond, including extending players that Woolf played a key part in bringing to St Helens, he shows that in deeds as well as words. 

If Woolf were to depart these shores at the end of the season his success here will not be measured purely in the past tense in terms of silverware, but in the present with the improvement squeezed out of players, and the future with the promotion of youth and the retention of key assets for 2023 and beyond.

But having said all that - we still want him to stay - just as Konrad Hurrell seemed to be indicating at the end: "One more year!"