Jack Welsby OUT! Ranking four St Helens full-back options with England star set for surgery

St Helens look set to be without England international Jack Welsby for as long as four months, with the full-back suffering a dislocated shoulder in their season opener against Warrington Wolves. 

As first reported by Love Rugby League, Welsby will undergo an operation later this week, but that does force head coach Paul Rowley into a major selection headache at full-back for the next few months.

St Helens had finally seemed to settle on a spine combination for their trip to the Halliwell Jones, with Rowley even suggesting he had nailed his flag to the mast in that respect during his press conference ahead of their round two meeting with Leigh Leopards, but he will now need to reassess his options.

Without further ado, here is a look at the possible options St Helens have at full-back without Jack Welsby.

Front-runner: Tristan Sailor

While he might wear six and be viewed more as a half at St Helens, Tristan Sailor has spent the bulk of his career at full-back and would be a very suitable candidate to slide back to replace Welsby. Sailor’s pace and eye for space make him a really unique threat ball-in-hand, and deploying him in the backfield allows him more time on the ball in broken field where he can cause chaos. Around that, 79 of his 143 career appearances have come at full-back, which would make him right at home.

But, this would also create further disruption within the spine, with Sailor then vacating his spot in the halves. St Helens do have good options to come in here, though, and it seems a logical step to give George Whitby a concentrated block in the starting 13. The youngster has really impressed in his Super League outings to date, as well as some strong performances in the Championship, so bringing him into the side will only help his progress at senior level.

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It’s a move that makes a lot of sense, across multiple angles as well.

In the mix: Nene Macdonald and Harry Robertson

Both Nene Macdonald and Harry Robertson were namechecked by Rowley as possible options, and both men would certainly make good replacements.

Looking at off-season recruit Macdonald first, he would offer a similar sort of threat to Sailor if deployed at full-back. His ability to change direction and speed makes him such a threat in broken field, and moving him back would allow him more time and space in those areas, but his offloading skills would also see him play a crucial linking role within their attack. Around that, he also shifted into full-back for the final exchanges last weekend, meaning he has already had a taste of what it’s like to play there within this new attack.

Robertson is also no stranger to full-back, having deputised for Welsby at various stages before making the switch to centre last season. The youngster also possesses genuine quick feet at the line, which allows him to break through the defence. His time in the centres has also seen him time his strike lines extremely well, which, if used in the right way at full-back, could add a lovely dynamic to the Saints’ attack.

But, should either man make the move, it would then create a hole in the centres. There is a less obvious candidate than at six, with Mark Percival still on the sidelines, which could see Rowley opt to keep both men in their current positions.

It is certainly an option, though.

Outside bet: Jonny Lomax

Previous club captain Jonny Lomax has also tasted his fair share of minutes at full-back, featuring here 87 times across his career for both club and country, and could be an option if needed.

Lomax is an incredibly experienced player within this Saints side, and bringing him into the side in this capacity would add so much to their overall spine. He has also had to be patient for minutes recently, finding himself usurped last season and now featuring in a role off the bench, but this could be a way to get him back into the starting 13.

In a similar way to the combination of Sailor and Welsby, it would also create a more fluid unit within the spine, which is something Rowley’s attack seems to encourage.

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