ROYCE Simmons has reported no fresh injury concerns as Saints prepare to face Wigan this Saturday in the Qualifying Semi Final.
The 19-man squad for the two sides’ last meeting are all available – and Leon Pryce and Gary Wheeler could also be back in the reckoning.
“That doesn’t happen too often!” Simmons said. “It’s good to have everyone available and we’ll see how Leon and Gary pull up this week in training.
“But there still are around five good players not available to me, but we have got used to dealing with that. It isn’t a big issue as it was. The young boys have got to play X amount of games and they are now part of the side.
“In one week we lost Kyle, Wheels and Pryce but Jonny [Lomax] and Lee [Gaskell] have played X amount of games and can rightly feel part of the team. They were outstanding a couple of weeks back.
“Sadly, if we make the Grand Final Kyle won’t play. Chris Flannery, Shaun Magennis and Josh Perry are out too and it would take a big call on Ade Gardner to bring him in.”
Simmons says Saints head into the clash full of confidence after beating the Warriors for the first time this season a fortnight ago:
“The obvious plus was it was a boost for the young boys. They had got a draw against Wigan and been in games where they said they should have beaten Wigan, but didn’t. Some were also involved in last year’s Grand Final. Now they have beaten a side that was last year’s Premiers and the Challenge Cup holders
“Lee and Jonny have both beaten Wigan as half backs. Tommy Makinson for example… all those younger boys now know they can do it. The senior guys always knew they could beat Wigan as they had done it before and performed for their country and in Grand Finals and Challenge Cup finals.
“We can also take a lot out of the game too. With 15 minutes to go we decided to survive and that isn’t the way to win these games. We have to go out and take the game to them. We have to keep playing and attacking and do the things that got us there in the first place.
“Our defensive line wasn’t going forward but sideways and then we ran one out too much. If we do that we are coming off our own line too much and it wears you down. Games like this are about field position.”
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