St.Helens head to The Mend-A-Hose Jungle this Friday night, 10th May, with kick-off scheduled for 8pm.
🎟️ TICKET INFORMATION
Saints supporters have been allocated standing tickets in the Railway End of The Mend-A-Hose Jungle, and it is advised for fans wishing to attend to purchase tickets in advance to save a bit of money, as prices increase on matchday.
Ticket Prices – Advance / (Matchday)
- Adults – £25 / (£30)
- Concession (60+) (Students) – £16 / (£19)
- Juniors (5-16) – £16 / (£19)
- Junior Member – £5 / (Unavailable on matchday)
- Under 5’s – Free but require a ticket
Tickets can be purchased online here now, via the Ticket Office or over the phone on 01744 455052. Saints’ tickets sold through the Club will be coming off sale at: 12pm on Thursday, 9th May. Tickets not collected from our Ticket Office before 4pm on Friday, 10th May will be taken to be collected from the Tigers’ Ticket Office that is situated just outside of the Main Stand.
Junior Members can access £5 tickets for all away games, subject to availability (2024 Members will need to login to purchase)
Under 5’s are free in the standing areas but £5 in the North Stand but a ticket must be provided via the Ticket Office.
📰 SQUAD NEWS
Head Coach Wellens makes two changes to the squad that was posted last week with Tommy Makinson back available after a case of chicken pox ruled him out for the Hull KR match, and Sam Royle also returns to the fold.
Click or tap on the image below to read more about our Round Eleven squad news.
The Tigers make just two changes to the squad that got a draw against Leigh Leopards last time out with Sam Hall replaced by Wigan loanee Sam Eseh who adds further size to the pack, and youngster Flecther Rooney steps in for Samy Kibula.
Castleford Tigers’ 21-man squad vs St.Helens
4. Sam Wood, 5. Innes Senior, 6. Danny Richardson, 7. Jacob Miller, 8. Liam Watts, 9. Paul McShane, 11. Elie El Zakhem, 12. Alex Mellor, 13. Joe Westerman, 14. Liam Horne, 15. George Griffin, 16. Rowan Milnes, 18. Josh Hodson, 24. Cain Robb, 25. Brad Martin, 29. George Hill, 31. Flecther Rooney, 33. Louis Senior, 34. Tex Hoy, 35. Corey Hall, 36. Sam Eseh.
🐅 TAKING A LOOK AT THE TIGERS…
There’s a growing spirit in the longer term project at Castleford Tigers, and under Head Coach Craig Lingard and Danny McGuire as Assistant, the Fords fans are starting to see the green shoots of promise.
2023 was frankly a year to forget for Cas; earning only six wins in the campaign, racking up three different coaches, and were firmly wrapped in a relegation battle to stay in the top flight. Ultimately, Wakefield Trinity were the side who dropped to the Championship for 2024. Lingard joined during 2023 and has stepped up to the top job at Wheldon Road, well aware of the challenge that was laid in front of him.
Under IMG grading; off field matters such as the addition of a permanent big screen, as well as other stadium upgrades may prove to be vital to their place at the top table. Castleford’s long waited Main Stand development project is now subject to final Government approval before work can take place, but that would be essential to the growth of the Club. Not waiting for that work to begin though, Cas have sought to ensure they have as many boxes as they can ticked, including seating in their Princess Street Stand which will be in use for the first time at Friday’s match.
So, whilst Castleford are looking to improve things off the field, on the pitch they have too with a large number of squad changes in the off-season and in the early stages of this season too, but we’ll touch of their latest squad updates later. Heading into the 2024 season looking to bring the age profile of the squad down, 19 players who were part of their squad in 2023 moved on (a number of loans included), while 11 recruits stepped in. The most notable of their signings were Sam Wood & Rowan Milnes from Hull KR, former Saint Josh Simm returning to the UK from Australia, and Luke Hooley from Leeds Rhinos.
In-season, Cas have also moved on Albert Vete, Jack Broadbent made the switch to Hull KR in exchange for two season long loans with Louis Senior and Corey Hall to boost the Tigers’ outside backs options. Plus, just this past Thursday it was announced former Saint Danny Richardson had also moved to Hull KR on a loan for the rest of the final year of his contract.
The start of this league season for Castleford saw shades of their performances last year return, with big losses to Warrington, Huddersfield, Catalans. However, a determined mindset to score saw them pick up their first Super League win this year over Salford Red Devils. Cas closed out April with a confidence boosting 40-0 win over basement side London Broncos at home and then last week against Leigh Leopards showed resilience to come from behind and take the game to golden point and in the end sharing the spoils.
In front of their own fans in a hostile environment, the Tigers will be looking to keep on building on their recent upturn in form, keep that fighting spirit. It means the Saints have a tough task on their hands at The Jungle, as we look to bounce back following a disappointing result last time out.
THREE TO WATCH
- Joe Westerman – despite the Tigers struggles last season, the loose forward was a consistent and top performer for the team, acting like a third pivot in the middle of the field, and doing he hard carries as well – it justly saw him earn Castleford’s Player of the Season award for a second year running
- Paul McShane – a Man of Steel, an England international and a vital cog in the Cas system, it is no coincidence that the Fords have improved since McShane’s return from injury, the #9 can create chances off his passing or kicking, and is a leader for the Tigers
- Innes Senior – currently Super League’s top try-scorer chart, the winger appears to be at his best with the Tigers at present and has ten four-pointers to his name so far, demonstrating not only his pace, but his diving flair for finishing in the corner
🏉 THE REST OF ROUND 11 IN SUPER LEAGUE
Thursday
Warrington Wolves vs Hull KR – 8pm
Friday
Leigh Leopards vs Salford Red Devils – 8:05pm
Saturday
Huddersfield Giants vs Wigan Warriors – 3pm
Catalans Dragons vs Leeds Rhinos – 5:30pm
Sunday
London Broncos vs Hull FC – 3pm
Take a look at how the Betfred Super League table looks ahead of Round 11 by clicking here.
🔻 WHAT KIT WILL SAINTS BE WEARING?
Whilst Friday is an away match, the Saints’ will be wearing our 24 Home Kit!
Our traditional white shirt with a Red Vee is a sharper, modern look, with watermark shard designs whilst the ‘V’ itself is a subtle two-tone design, a feature never before seen on a St.Helens shirt.
Get your 24 Home Kit online by visiting saintssuperstore.com!
📲 HOW CAN I FOLLOW THE GAME?
Saints will be covering the match in full across our Live Match Centre where you can find out the team news, follow live game updates, get behind the scenes photos and catch up on all the stories of the game.
Our club social media accounts will also keep supporters updated. Follow us on: X/Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Highlights and the full match replay will be available for Saints TV subscribers.
Sky Sports subscribers can watch it live on Sky Sports Arena, as can SuperLeague+ subscribers.
💬 COACH PREVIEW
On the back of a disappointing defeat away at Hull KR, the Saints are back on the road again looking to get a big and positive response. Wellens discusses the challenges that Castleford will pose when we go to their ground, plus gives updates on Whitley, Makinson and Knowles.
Saints TV subscribers can watch the full Coach Preview with Paul Wellens!
📊 THE RECORD AGAINST CAS
Super League summary
The Saints/Tigers head-to-head battle in Super League weighs heavily in favour of St. Helens, 51 wins for the Red V to Castleford’s 10 with 1 draw too. Within those 51 wins over the West Yorkshire club are victories in the 1999 and 2014 play-offs.
Our highest score over Castleford came in 2006 at The Jungle, 72-4, which is also our widest margin over the Tigers too.
Last ten meetings
Castleford 4, St Helens 34 (SLR23, 25/8/23)
St Helens 22, Castleford 0 (SLR17, 30/6/23)
Castleford 6, St Helens 24 (SLR2, 26/2/23)
St Helens 20, Castleford 12 (SLR22, 7/8/22)
Castleford 30, St Helens 10 (SLR10, 22/4/22)
St Helens 10, Castleford 20 (SLR19, 12/8/21)
Castleford 12, St Helens 26 (CCF, 17/7/21) (at Wembley Stadium)
St Helens 10, Castleford 0 (SLR16, 16/8/20)
Castleford 28, St Helens 14 (SLR7, 15/3/20)
St Helens 4, Castleford 0 (SLR27, 30/8/19)
🦸♂️ WELSBY LOOKING FORWARD TOUGH TIGERS TEST
Jack Welsby knows The Jungle is a hostile environment and is looking forward to getting out on the field as the team looks to put right some wrongs from last week’s performance.
On that Hull KR defeat, Jack said that it was a very disappointing performance, and that we haven’t had many results like that in recent times, so we’re looking forward to getting back out there, and putting a better showing of ourselves on this time out.
Watch the full player preview with ‘Super Jack’ on Saints TV!
🗣️ WHO WILL BE THE MATCH OFFICIALS?
Jack Smith will be the referee for Friday evening’s fixture, and he will be supported by Touch Judges Rich Thompson and Warren Turley, and as with all Super League fixtures in 2024 there will also be the Video Referee Liam Rush at Rugby League’s remote refereeing base.
2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ 🆙 FOR TOMMY?
Should our star winger play on Friday night, he could mark a personal milestone for himself if he scored too. The next Makinson try for the Saints will bring our #2 up to an incredible 200 tries scored for the Club since his debut back in 2011 and over 325 matches played too.
😇 HALF-SEASON MEMBERSHIPS AVAILABLE NOW
Our next home game is against Leeds Rhinos on Friday, 24th May, and fans can secure their spots for our final seven league matches for the Betfred Super League 2024 season!
For us, it’s not just about the Rugby, it’s being part of something that you are proud to call your own in the Town, an event you don’t want to miss, where you can bring the family to enjoy incredible sporting excellence mixed with brilliant entertainment, all for incredible value!
Being a Member brings you closer to your Club, as well as giving you the best value for your tickets throughout the season, with extensive savings vs standard matchday ticket prices.
Find out more about our 2024 Half Season Memberships and secure yours today by clicking here or on the image below!
