A place in the Betfred Super League Semi-Finals is up for grabs as St.Helens go away to Warrington Wolves on Saturday (28th September), with kick-off at 5:30pm.
#NeverWriteUsOff 🔻
After the conclusion of the regular Super League season, the Saints face Warrington, and to the victor go the spoils as the winner progresses into the Semi-Finals and the losing team’s season will end.
No team has ever won the competition from the position St.Helens are in as the Play-Offs commence, but that is a challenge Paul Wellens’ troops wish to rise to, and for this team to make even more history.
🎟 TICKET INFORMATION
It is advised for supporters to purchase their tickets online as this is the quickest and easiest method of securing your spot.
St.Helens’ away allocation of tickets will come off sale at 5pm on Friday, 27th September, after which fans will still be able to purchase tickets online but through Warrington Wolves’ ticketing website from 10am on gameday, or directly at Warrington’s Stadium Ticket Office from 3pm also on gameday.
Ticket Prices (Member prices in advance / Non-member prices)
Standing
- Adult – £21 / £26
- Concession (65+) – £15 / £20
- Young Adult (17-23) -£15 / £20
- Junior (2-16) – £5
- Under 2’s – Free but require a ticket
Reserved Seating – North Q
- Adult – £26 / £31
- Concession (65+) – £17 / £22
- Young Adult (17-23) -£17 / £17
- Junior (2-16) – £5
- Under 2’s – Free but require a ticket
📰 SQUAD NEWS
Paul Wellens makes just one change to the squad from last week’s final regular round of the 2024 Betfred Super League season with Moses Mbye stepping out of the squad after picking up a calf injury during the warm-up at Leigh Sports Village.
Young Saint Jonny Vaughan is the player coming into the squad, looking to keep making his mark in his debut season.
Click or tap on the image below to read more about our Eliminator Play-Off squad news.
Warrington name a strong squad with two changes to the squad that demolished London Broncos in the final regular season round 54-0 at home. Prop forward Paul Vaughan is back available after a three-match suspension following a sending off at Leigh, and centre Rodrick Tai is back following an ankle injury.
Warrington Wolves 21-man squad vs St.Helens
1. Matt Dufty, 2. Josh Thewlis, 3. Toby King, 4. Stefan Ratchford, 5. Matty Ashton, 6. George Williams, 7. Josh Drinkwater, 8. James Harrison, 9. Danny Walker, 10. Paul Vaughan, 11. Ben Currie, 13. Matty Nicholson, 14. Rodrick Tai, 15. Joe Philbin, 16. Zane Musgrove, 17. Jordy Crowther, 29. Tom Whitehead, 32. Sam Powell, 33. Arron Lindop, 41. Luke Yates, 42. John Bateman.
💬 COACH PREVIEW
Head Coach Wellens believes with a number of our senior Saints returning from injuries, and with some improvements to our play, that this knockout competition can be an exciting one for his men.
It is a different scenario for the Red V than in recent years with a sixth-placed finish in the regular season meaning that we must go away and win twice to get to the showpiece finale. That challenge is one Wellens is embracing after what has been a tough season, with do-or-die rugby now to be played.
Watch the full Coach Preview with Paul Wellens on Saints TV
📲 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 | Facebook | Instagram
Highlights and the full match replay will be available for Saints TV subscribers.
This match will be broadcast live on BBC Two and Sky Sports in the UK, and SuperLeague+ subscribers outside the UK can watch around the world.
🔻 WHAT KIT WILL SAINTS BE WEARING?
The Saints’ 24 Home Kit will be worn on Saturday afternoon in our Play-Offs clash!
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!
🔢 MILESTONE MEN
Three of our players could mark milestones in their careers with a match appearance in the match against Warrington on Saturday, and the big one is our club captain Jonny Lomax is in line to play his 350th match for St.Helens! His competitive debut came back in 2009 away against Wakefield.
Our star wingman Tommy Makinson will bring his own personal tally up to 350 career matches should he play against the Wolves. 335 of those have come in the Red V, 1 game for both Rochdale Hornets and Whitehaven on dual-registration, and 12 playing for England.
Mark Percival completes our trifecta of Saints in line to reach a milestone, for him if he takes to the field at the Halliwell Jones Stadium it would be his 250th career appearance. 242 of those have been for St.Helens so far, he has played 1 match for Rochdale on dual-reg, and 6 times for England.
Throwing one more stat your way, if the Red V’s number nine Daryl Clark goes over for a try against his former club, it would be the 100th of his career too!
🔟 DREAM TEAM LEES ON PLAY-OFFS
With the Red V doing it hard on the injury front during the summer, Lees stood tall and led from the front by taking on big minutes in the middle, encouraging our aspiring younger players, and even getting to be the Captain for a derby day against Wigan Warriors. Now as we head into the Play-Offs with a number of senior Saints back, Lees is excited for the challenges ahead.
St.Helens go to Warrington on Saturday looking to progress into the next round as the race to Old Trafford heats up. However, with the Wolves on their own home turf, not only do the team need to be at their best, we are encouraging our incredible supporters to keep up their wonderful backing of the Saints!
Watch the full player preview with Leesy on Saints TV!
📊 THE RECORD AGAINST WARRINGTON
Last ten meetings
Warrington 16, St Helens 2 (SLR25, 7/9/24)
St Helens 10. Warrington 24 (SLR18, 19/7/24)
St Helens 8. Warrington 31 (CCQF, 14/4/24)
St Helens 16, Warrington 8 (SL-E, 30/9/23)
Warrington 6, St Helens 18 (SLR26, 15/9/23)
Warrington 20, St Helens 24 (SLR18, 7/7/23)
St Helens 28, Warrington 6 (SLR10, 20/4/23)
Warrington 10, St Helens 12 (SLR13, 19/5/22)
St Helens 28, Warrington 2 (SLR5, 11/3/22)
Warrington 14, St Helens 24 (SLR22, 30/8/21)
Super League summary
The Saints have a strong foothold in the head-to-head record against Warrington, winning 58 of the meetings (including wins in 2010, 2012 and 2023 play-offs), whilst Wolves have won 18, and honours have been shared in a draw only twice.
Our highest score and widest winning margin over Warrington came in a 2002 home victory, 72-2.
🗣️ WHO WILL BE THE MATCH OFFICIALS?
Liam Moore will be the Referee for Saturday evening’s match and he will be supported by Touch Judges Jonny Roberts and Warren Turley, plus the Video Referee Chris Kendall at Rugby League’s remote refereeing base.
🏉 HOW THE PLAY-OFFS SHAPE UP
The first Eliminator Play-Off sees Salford Red Devils host Leigh Leopards in what may break Salford’s all-time attendance record at the Salford Community Stadium on Friday night.
The Red Devils finished the Betfred Super League regular season in fourth place, whilst Leigh finished fifth.
The winner of that match will progress into the next round of the Play-Offs, much like our match on Saturday.
So, who will play who in the Semi-Finals?
Well, Wigan as the League Leaders’ Shield winners will take on the lowest ranked winner from the Eliminators, and Hull KR who finished the regular season in second spot will take on the highest ranked winner from the Eliminators.
The Saints know if they beat Warrington on Saturday by virtue of finishing the regular season in sixth place will go away to Wigan for the Semi-Final.
🔎 WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE WOLVES
Under Sam Burgess Warrington are enjoying a renaissance of form after two tough years, particularly in 2022 when they finished 11th in the table, but that seems like a distant memory after performing strongly in 2024 and finishing in 3rd spot and pushing for a home Semi-Final in the top two right until the end.
Burgess was backed with strong recruitment which saw the likes of Lachlan Ftzgibbon, Zane Musgrove, Jordan Crowther, Sam Powell, Rockrick Tai join, plus the return of Toby King after a successful loan spell at Wigan. Adding mid-season recruitment too, the Wire have brought in Luke Yates from Huddersfield early (he had signed for next year) and England international John Bateman on loan from NRL side Wests Tigers.
It is clear to see that Burgess has had an impact on the Wolves who have markedly improved in not only their results but performances. They have already come close to grabbing silverware too at Wembley in the Challenge Cup Final but were outfought early against Wigan who kept them out for the victory.
Showing at times a steely determination, they have bested Saints three times in 2024 so far, twice in the league and knocking the Red V out of the Challenge Cup. Paul Wellens’ men will be looking to avoid a fourth defeat to the Wolves, something that his side did to Warrington last year.
The spine appears to be clicking and firing on all cylinders with Danny Walker and Matt Dufty in particular enjoying their best seasons for the Wolves so far. Playing flat and fast rugby, Wire have speed on their edges to finish with Josh Thewlis or Matt Ashton, or setup George Williams with a deadly boot or a clever pass can cut open any team on his day.
The contest in the middles should be exciting too, if Alex Walmsley and Paul Vaughan clash in the middle of the field you are sure to know about it, but the back-row battle too with the likes of Joe Batchelor and Ben Currie, or Morgan Knowles and Matty Nicholson colliding should be box office too.
THREE TO WATCH
- George Williams – the England captain continues to be pivotal to the Wolves’ attack and when he is on song, he can be very tricky to handle with a strong running and kicking game making him one of the league’s best halves
- Matt Dufty – selected as the Dream Team fullback, Dufty has enjoyed his best season in the primrose and blue so far. Now back from an injury he will be keen to get his first play-offs win since joining the club
- Matty Ashton – one of the league’s quickest men, as we found out the other week at the Halliwell Jones when he managed to make the most of a loose ball that went to ground to sprint in and score
