St Helens star backs up in reserves 48 hours after Leigh loss as key men return

St Helens prop Agnatius Paasi has backed up for the club in their reserve side less than 48 hours after featuring for the club’s first team: with a number of other key injury absentees also return.

Paasi was in the Saints 17 that lost to Leigh Leopards on Thursday evening. He featured for just 20 minutes from the bench as Paul Wellens’ side lost ground in the race for the top two.

And on Saturday, Paasi has been asked to play again, with the overseas import starting for the Saints against the Leopards’ reserves.

Whether Paasi is in need of valuable minutes remains to be seen, but his inclusion is telling given how he has been performing in recent weeks.

Paasi was not the only big name to feature on Saturday lunchtime for the Saints’ reserves, either.

A number of key men who have been sidelined with injuries also made their comebacks in that game. James Bell has been missing for a number of weeks, having been out since April due to a fracture in his foot, but he was named in the reserves side on Saturday.

And England international Joe Batchelor also featured for the first time since suffering a calf injury last month.

Konrad Hurrell was also featuring for the Saints for the first time in 2025 having been deemed ready to feature following a number of spells away from the club on loan or dual-registration this season. Hurrell has featured for the likes of Halifax, Bradford and Swinton so far this year.

But his return, along with that of Bell and Batchelor, is a sign Wellens may well have more options at his disposal moving forwards.

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