St Helens suffer dire Daryl Clark blow with key absences explained

St Helens have confirmed that Daryl Clark will miss the remainder of the season due to an ankle injury.

After limping off in the Magic Weekend defeat to Wigan Warriors, Clark has been further assessed and while there was initially hope that he could return for the final stages of the season, it has now been confirmed that he will miss the remainder of the season due to requiring an operation.

St Helens’ injuries continue

Making matters worse for Saints is that both Alex Walmsley and George Delaney remain on the sidelines due to concussion protocols. Both have suffered two concussions in short succession, so they need to go through enhanced processes to be clear to make their returns.

“Bit of an unknown, really,” Rowley said on the pair. “They go to a specialist and the specialist then will dictate whether they should sit down and have another week, two weeks, three weeks, four weeks.

“So, whatever the specialist says he feels that they need. So, we just follow his lead.”

Ominously, Saints aren’t in a position to recruit, either.

“We’re squeezed on cap and there’s no dispensations or sympathy. There’s no white nights coming. So, you know, we’ve just got to go again.”

New leaders required

Already without captain Matty Lees and former captain Jonny Lomax, Saints are desperately needing players to step into leadership roles while the likes of Clark and Walmsley also remain unavailable.

But Rowley believes one of his new recruits has started to show signs of doing so.

“We’ve got a lot of senior players out, so leadership’s looking a little bit different. So, we’ve got to find some new leaders amongst the group that are playing at the minute.

“I think we’ve got some, probably one you wouldn’t expect. I think Daniel Suluka-Fifita has come over and proved a really strong leader. He doesn’t overplay his hand, but what he says is important. And more importantly, I think his actions have been consistent on and off the field. And, you know, he’s been a joy to coach. So, he’s certainly a new leader to the club.”