St Helens and Wigan stars hype up Good Friday derby as NRL admission made

There’s nothing quite like the Good Friday derby between St Helens and Wigan Warriors. Take it from one Aussie who’s eager to be involved in it for the first time, and one that’s preparing for his fourth.

Off-season Saints recruit Klemmer has 260 NRL appearances under his belt having donned a shirt for Canterbury Bulldogs, Newcastle Knights, Wests Tigers and St George Illawarra Dragons Down Under.

Just a handful of games into his Super League career, the 32-year-old will get his first taste of a Good Friday derby this weekend as part of Easter’s Rivals Round.

Dubbo-born Kaide Ellis meanwhile arrived at Wigan back in 2022. Suspension meant he missed the Good Friday derby that year, but he’s been involved in each of the three since, tasting the highs and lows.

Across all competitions, this will be the tenth time he’s lined up against Saints for the Warriors. And it never gets any less special.

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‘It’s a good one to be a part of… these sorts of occasions are what you play rugby league for’

Klemmer is a former Australia international and has honours on his CV for New South Wales in State of Origin.

But this is a new world for him, as he explained: “I was part of the Roosters and St George rivalry, and the Bulldogs (against) the Rabbitohs on Good Friday.

“Looking at past fixtures and the history of it, I think this probably tops all of them.

“I think it’s going to be a good atmosphere, a good rivalry, and it’s a good one to be a part of.

“We’re excited, these sorts of occasions are what you play rugby league for.”

Sydney-born Klemmer has so far powered over the line twice in a Saints shirt. He’s yet to notch a try on home soil though, with this year’s Good Friday clash taking place at the BrewDog Stadium.

The veteran forward added: “My kids have grown up with me playing, so they’ve always come to nearly every footy game. They’ve come over here and enjoyed it. They sit in the stands and they love all the lunatics screaming during the game!

“It’s good to see them enjoying it and I love it as well. I’ve got some stick on the sidelines (and I love it). It’s sort of semi-final or Grand Final vibes, but here it’s every week – Round 1, Round 3, whenever.

“I’m loving the experience, I love the hostility. That’s part of the fabric over here, it’s part of the culture and it makes the game.”

‘You don’t really understand it until you play it… it’s towns going at each other with a respectful hate between each other’

Ellis’ NRL experience is not as wide ranging as Klemmer, but Wigan‘s vice-captain amassed 27 first-grade appearances Down Under before arriving in the UK, making those between Penrith Panthers and St George.

He’s now played over 100 games for the Cherry and Whites, and has come out on top in seven of his nine appearances against Saints, including two of three on Good Friday.

The 29-year-old detailed: “When I signed, I got told about it, but you soon find out for yourself. As soon as the (fixture) draw comes out at the start of the season, that Good Friday game is the first thing that gets brought up.

“You don’t really understand it until you play it. You can take people’s word for it, but they really have been some of the best games of my career.

“They’re never straightforward, always unusual in the way a lot of things can happen in the game – injuries, red cards, the swing in momentum.”

Ellis won’t need any added motivation before Good Friday comes around, but he does have a score to settle with new Saints recruit Klemmer.

The pair’s only previous meeting saw both start in the front-row as Klemmer’s Knights thumped Ellis’ St George 42-18 in an NRL clash back in September 2020.

He continued: “It goes much deeper. It’s towns going at each other with a respectful hate between each other. As soon as the week comes around, you want to get it (the wait) over with and you want to win.

“These are the games where it doesn’t require much of a game plan, it’s all about intensity and who wants to be more physical.

“History drives it, it’s a derby for a reason. They’re intense, played at a different speed. It’s a finals game played during the season, that’s how it is.”