St Helens injury latest including Tommy Makinson and fresh Mark Percival blow
St Helens boss Paul Wellens has given an update on duo Tommy Makinson and Mark Percival after the pair missed the club’s 28-6 win over Warrington.
The duo were both included in the side’s 21-man squad ahead of the Round 10 clash.
It saw Tee Ritson given his chance on the wing, scoring his side’s final try in the home victory at the Totally Wicked Stadium.
Konrad Hurrell opened the scoring, intercepting a pass from recently appointed England captain George Williams. Jonny Lomax scored his side’s second, while Will Hopoate crossed for a 16-0 lead.
Matty Russell crossed for his 100th career try to keep his side in the game for a 16-6 score at the break.
But St Helens dominated territory in the second half, with further tries from Jon Bennison and Ritson, with the former kicking two goals, and Joey Lussick also adding four more from the boot.
Percival, 28, featured at back-row in the side’s 26-14 defeat at Craven Park last week. However, he was not named to face Daryl Powell’s Warrington, with Joe Batchelor making his first appearance of the season following his ankle injury sustained in Australia against St George Illawarra Dragons.
Paul Wellens explains absentees
“Unfortunately for Tommy Makinson, he couldn’t make tonight’s game,” Wellens explained.
“I’ve got to go on record and say Tommy has been playing busted for a number of weeks now and it probably got to a point where enough was enough for Tommy. That selfless attitude to keep putting your hand up for the team probably ran its course.
“I don’t think he’s going to be out long-term. It’s almost like a dead leg, but very close to the knee. So there’s a lot of swelling there and it’s not settling down as quickly as we’d like.
“It’s challenging for him to even walk properly, never mind run. So once that was the case, there was no point trying to throw him out there, particularly when you’ve got a fresh Tee Ritson there and a fresh Jon Bennison.
“Those two guys stepped up with enthusiasm and a real willingness to work hard and I thought both players caused Warrington trouble tonight.”
It is however worse news for international centre Percival, who has already missed games against Hull and Huddersfield this season due to injury.
On Percival, Wellens continued: “He picked up a bit of a hamstring strain in training this week.
“He’s gone for scans, but we don’t know the full extent at this stage.
“It’s not going to be a quick fix, but I can’t give a definitive timeframe. But I don’t think we’ll see Mark Percival in the near-future.”
READ: St Helens v Warrington: The staggering amount of players sidelined as teams announced
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