SAINTS travel to rivals and reigning champions Wigan Warriors night looking for a huge improvement in performance after disappointing back-to-back defeats.
Coach Paul Wellens said ahead of picking his 21-man squad that “all options are on the table” with regards to making tweaks to his side missing nine frontline players.
And that suggests changes in the key areas where Saints were deficient in Friday’s lame performance at home to Castleford, namely a malfunction in the halves.
Although Lewis Dodd has been named in the 21, it would not be a surprise to see him omitted from the starting 13.
That would mean Jonny Lomax moving to seven, and allow the skipper to direct operations as the team’s organiser and have more of a running threat with Jack Welsby at 6.
If Welsby moves to stand off, the question mark hangs over who goes to full back.
There are two options.
Earlier this year in the Huddersfield home game, Saints started with a triumvirate of Lomax, Welsby and Jon Bennison.
But that formation was closed down by the Giants defence, prompting the coach to bring on Moses Mbye into the halves midway through the game and drop Welsby back to full back.
That leaves the other option of Harry Robertson, who recently played in the England Academy side, and has impressed at Reserves and Academy level – scoring seven tries in the game against Huddersfield.
Primarily a 6 or 1, but who can do a job on the wing or centre, the latest of the club’s Halton Farnworth Hornets juniors to progress is really catching the eye.
A few weeks ago, when Robertson was first called up into the 21, Wellens said of the youngster.
“At the minute when he plays Academy rugby Harry looks a class above it and that is really pleasing. His performances have been excellent there,” Wellens said.
“He was given a place in the first team 21-man squad last week and that was on merit having been the standout player in the Academy in recent weeks – and when he has got the opportunity to play in the reserves he has not looked out of place and has been excellent.”
So it could be that Robertson gets a baptism of fire at the home of Saints’ biggest rivals - just like Regan Grace did in 2017.
Wellens said: “Off the back of two poor performances I have got to look at our options and how we can get better moving forward and all options are on the table.”
My possible Saints 17 is: Robertson; Bennison, Percival, Vaughan, Blake; Welsby, Lomax; Delaney, Clark, Lees, Sironen, Royle, Bell. Subs: Burns, Davies, Stephens, Paasi.
Wellens’ other option is to put Dodd on the bench and spell Clark at 9 – as he did when he started his senior career, but that is not without its pitfalls.
As for the game itself, Wellens said: "I am really looking forward to it.
“We were disappointed with last week’s performance and result, but we have got an opportunity to come to a place where we enjoy playing against a really tough team and a team that is in form and winning.
“It is a real challenge for us and a great opportunity for us to come here and play well."
Saints 21-man squad v Wigan Warriors: 1. Jack Welsby, 3. Waqa Blake, 4. Mark Percival, 5. Jon Bennison, 6. Jonny Lomax, 7. Lewis Dodd, 9. Daryl Clark, 10. Matty Lees, 15. James Bell, 16. Curtis Sironen, 17. Agnatius Paasi, 20. George Delaney, 21. Ben Davies, 22. Sam Royle, 24. Jake Burns, 25. Tee Ritson, 29. Will Roberts, 30. Jonny Vaughan, 31. Noah Stephens, 32. Leon Cowen, 33. Harry Robertson.
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