I'm hoping we are competitive. Yes they will be undercooked but if they are at full strength (which apparently they will be bar Liam Martin) then that plus they are at home and the heat means we will struggle.



We made a lot of errors on Saturday against St George and whilst that was our first proper hit out too, you have to ace any opportunities you get in a game like the WCC and simply put we must complete at a higher rate.



I think they'll get us on the edges, Hurrell showed again on Saturday that he can be a liability in defence by overshooting the line and the likes of Cleary will love that, kicking in behind him etc.

Fancy Saints to keep it close. Kikau, Koroisau and Martin all massive players for the Panthers all not there for Saturday.



Whereas Saints are improved from the end of last year with Walmsley and Dodd (I would have loved to see Percival, Dodd/Lomax, Walmsley and Roby for England in the World Cup).





The battle in the front row will be great, JFH might be the best prop going at the minute and Moses Leota was unreal in the playoffs last year.



Fancy panthers by about 12 but depending on their motivation levels Saints could pull off something special.

Saints have the advantage in terms of personnel from last year to this, with them being stronger than the 2022 GF, whereas Penrith have lost a couple of massive players in Kikau and Koroisau and have Martin missing as well. That helps and brings the game closer but the conditions sound pretty brutal.



Looking at the warm up game on Saturday, we’ll need to find out if Saints played at that lightning pace for 15-20 and purposefully eased up or if that was just a natural dip brought about by not having to keep that intensity up when playing in Superleague. I suspect it may have just been a bit of an easing up, as though to say ‘we’ve laid a marker’ and they did not want to blow themselves out. It was extremely impressive that first 20 but the rest was a bit messy and if it wasn’t just a cue on the rack thing, the game could get away from them this week. That was possibly the worst team in the NRL they were playing and one nowhere near full strength, so it was very tough to make real judgments throughout.



Hand on heart, I think they’ll go well on Saturday. I can see it being pretty close for around an hour and Penrith to probably get home by about 10-12 points.

I agree that we were messy after that opening spell. However what infuriated me was the constant pointing out that St George weren't at full strength, however no reference to the fact that for the second half we had no Lomax, Dodd, Welsby, Percival, Roby, Hopoate, Batchelor and Makinson.



At one point Ben Davies made a break for Lussicks try that was disallowed for a forward pass and Corey Parker said it was great play by Welsby. He wasn't even on the field.



The second half was very sratchy with all the changes.



On a side note, Ritson showed his speed in open field with his try. He will definitely give us strike if he gets a few games, the lad can finish.

My favourite moment of the game by Corey Parker was him saying what a great battle it would be next week between the 1,6 and 7’s, listing players like Edwards, Cleary, Luai and…..DEAD AIR…..and Vossy has to chip in and throw him a lifeline by saying Welsby





There was a difference in strength of the teams from the off tbh. St George were probably at 50-60% with guys like Sloan, Hunt, Bird, Su’A, De Belin, Molo, Woods and Fuimaono not playing. I think Saints would’ve battered their full strength team playing at that pace in the first 20 minutes but it was a tough game to get a handle on. When the changes started to come through in the second half, Saints brought on top 20-25 players but St George were bringing lads on who won’t get anywhere near an NRL game this season, even if they pick up a load of injuries.



Saints can take huge comfort from that first 20 mins though and if they can replicate that over the 80 minutes, they’ll give it a real crack.

Stu do you worry that this trip would put Welsby, Dodd, Knowles etc in the shop window for the NRL?



Think a big factor in your recent success is keeping the core team together and not losing them to the NRL/Union (something the 2010s Wigan team couldn’t)



From what I’ve read it looks like Dodd is keen for the NRL in 2025.

Massively so. Also looking at their social media they absolutely love the lifestyle there. I know that they have been before with Saints Academy but this is completely different, they now have the better facilities, hotels, eating at better restaurants etc, worlds apart from an Academy tour that they more or less had to fund themselves by raising money.



To be honest I wouldn't blame them either. Take Welsby for example, a 21 year old kid who has already won x4 GF's and a CC. What else is there for him to achieve at Saints? Go and test yourself over there and if it doesn't work out then he's still young enough to come back here and get a marquee deal somewhere.



I know that some of the Aussies were particularly impressed with Dodd's cameo. Looks to me like he has put a bit of size on in the off season so looks even better. He'll be like a new signing as we were playing superbly up to him going off on Good Friday last year and being done for the season.

Yeah agree on the Welsby point.



NRL scouts will have noted the form of 21-year-old St Helens half Lewis Dodd - with a shortage of class number sevens in Australia, he could find some clubs knocking on his door.



Above is what Moley said in his column this morning.



In note both are out of contract at the end of 2025.



Could be some rebuilding task if they both go, especially with Lomax and Roby retiring around then.

Saints in a boat we’ve found ourselves in previously in wanting to win a WCC game but knowing that by doing so, it opens plenty of eyes over in the NRL. It’s sad for the game here that the likelihood of a British side winning a WCC just means we lose more of our best players.



If I look at it from a players POV though, they’d be mad not to go and give it a crack. I look at Welsby and Knowles in particular and why wouldn’t you want to go within the next couple of years? You’ve won everything here, you’ll get more money and a better lifestyle and you’ll get to really test where you’re at. Saints seem to be able to find ways of keeping these lads but they’ll be tested more than ever if they put in a good performance on Saturday.

I think the best guess as to when the current Saints dynasty will end would be around 2025. Roby and LMS will be gone and a number of key players will be in their mid 30s (Makinson, Walmsley, Lomax, Paasi, Hurrell) and if one or both of Dodd/Welsby leave then it may also be around that time. Id be surprised if they didnt give it a go as they would have the safety net of a Saints return whenever they wanted it.



There will be replacements when the squad starts to disband of course and no doubt they'll be good ones as they've made lots of great decisions in recent years. But 2025 would be the earliest I'd say that this current run will come to an end - it will still be incredibly challenging for the other clubs to get over the top of them in the meantime.

Agreed. I actually think that this season is our last one with this core team and the ages they are at. Nothing lasts for ever and I think that from next season onwards we will need some rebuilding and transition will follow.



Wigan will always be there and there's huge wraps on this current Academy team with by all accounts some real potential superstars in there. Warrington will come good at some point especially as they are investing in their Academy at last. Leeds are also going down the project route with some Championship players that if they get some of them right like Walmsley and Batchelor, then they will be much improved too.



As I've said before I'd love to see Welsby over there. Whilst it would weaken us I'd love him to go and kill it over there at some point.

I think it could be a year earlier. You look at the amount of rugby that the likes of Percival and Makinson have played and you'll see them picking up more injuries. Percival in particular has struggled of late and Makinson missed a few last season too.

So it's just a Friendly then ?



Best get an Asterix Ready

Let’s be honest. As much as Welsby and Dodd are fantastic SL players, there are just as many equally as good NRL players running around in reserve grade over there.



We cannot compete with the talent pool over there

Kick off time put back 50 mins due to the heat.



Suits me as I'm at CentreParcs Fri- Monday so won't have to get up as early

Wigan the only club team to ever win in Oz

Strange feeling but getting more and more behind St Helens as the week goes on - mainly because of the sense of certainty amongst Australian pundits that it will be a complete whitewash. It wouldn't be a good look for British RL if the team who's won SL four times running get run over on Saturday. The change in kick off time should help a bit - hope they're able to keep the score close at least.

We should just about catch the second half at our pub/breakfast stop on the way to HKR.

Plans already in place

If Saints are winning well cut the transmission off

Good Grief, talk about wanting it all your own way.



Why don't Saints ask Penrith to play in Shell suits and take to the field drinking Carlsberg Export super strength pushing a Pram?

You'll deffo make the Saints players feel like they're playing at home then

I'm not ashamed to admit I'm behind them.



I like to think I can recognise a quality team when I see one, and I admire quality, and since we lost all the trolls who infested this place when we were struggling under Mo and Whelan, I feel more brotherly towards their fans anyway.



They've got a job and a half on, but as someone else said, it would look dreadful for our game generally if the best side got shellacked by an Aussie team who their pundits would no doubt then claim was undercooked etc, thus rubbing it in even more.



The real downside of a Saints win would be the attention it would draw to their best players.



I'm not sure it's quite the problem it was back in the days of Wigan v Bath, but that only went west for us because up till then RU were totally confident they had the better players and it was a real wake-up call for them. The Aussies don't need that as our top players' agents are constantly marketing them down there anyway. But if Saints make a really good fist of it, it will be harder for the Phil Goulds of this world to write them off as s###e, and easier for their agents to get through the doors of the NRL's top clubs.

I understand the concern about players' heads being turned but it is what it is.



We were going to crash and burn when KC, Newlove, Scully, Joynt, Long etc retired. We're now going to crash and burn when the current lot do.



It isn't so long ago a good proportion of Saints fans were hammering Woolf for picking Jack Welsby!! The reality is the club will continue to invest in its academy and bring good players through, as will Wigan, and the more go over to the NRL and do well and make good money, the better. They deserve it, there will be other local lads coming through that we will enjoy watching.

Bloody hell i would be

If it was a choice of a solar flare and certain death or cheering on a St Helens team i would still rather reach for the sun cream and chance it.

I can sit here and say I want them to win but ultimately when the game kicks off I know I won’t. I can’t help that, it’s natural and 99.9% of their fans would feel the same if the shoe was on the other foot.



What I will say is that I want them to do well in the game and push Penrith every inch of the way. I think the whole event, with it being noted in the middle of the pre season trial team lists on Aussie websites is totally disrespectful but that doesn’t surprise me. I’m convinced Saints will want it far more and I do think they’ll go pretty close.

I must admit I'm torn as well.....



I don't know whether I want Saints to lose by a thwacking 40+



Or for Penrith to score the winner as the final hooter is sounding.