Super League preview: St. Helens and Warrington look to extend winning runs, Hull KR aim to stop losing streak
The Betfred Super League is back on Friday night with St. Helens' clash with Hull FC kicking off the weekend's action.
Salford Red Devils take on Warrington Wolves on Saturday afternoon before Catalans Dragons take on Wigan Warriors and Hull KR host Widnes Vikings.
Huddersfield Giants take on Castleford Tigers whilst Wakefield Trinity face-off against Leeds Rhinos on Sunday to wrap things up.
Tom Carnduff looks at some of the key points from this round of fixtures.
Saints aim for four in a row
St. Helens will aim to make it four wins in a row when they host Hull FC on Friday night.
The game, which is live on Sky Sports, also features a Hull FC side on a three-game winning run after victories over Wakefield Trinity and Hull KR over the Easter Weekend.
The win over Hull KR was the Black and Whites' first away win of the season. They have been defeated by Castleford Tigers, Leeds Rhinos, Salford Red Devils and Wigan Warriors on their travels so far.
Justin Holbrook has named an unchanged 19-man squad from Monday's win over Widnes, with Jonny Lomax expected to feature after being rested against the Vikings.
St. Helens v Hull FC betting (odds via Sky Bet)
- St. Helens to win - 1/3
- Drawn match - 20/1
- Hull FC to win - 9/4
- Ben Barba & Albert Kelly Both To Score A Try - 9/2
- A successful Drop Goal attempt - 7/4
For Lee Radford, they've been strengthened by a number of returning senior players.
They were without a select number of senior players in the second game of the Easter period as they recovered from minor niggles they sustained in the Good Friday clash with Hull Kingston Rovers.
Carlos Tuimavave, Danny Houghton and Jamie Shaul have all been included in the 19-man squad to travel to the Totally Wicked Stadium, whilst Sika Manu has been recalled after a calf injury has kept him out of action for almost a month.
Should Houghton feature, he will make his 300th club appearance in Black and White, joining only Richard Horne and Kirk Yeaman who have done so for the club during the Super League era.
Meanwhile, Marc Sneyd is also named after his drop-goal heroics against Trinity, and he will make his 100th club appearance should he play.
Hull KR look to end losing streak
Hull KR will look to end a run of three-games without victory when they host Widnes Vikings on Saturday.
Rovers were unable to get past bitter rivals Hull FC despite a man advantage in their meeting last week, and have also been beaten by Wigan and St. Helens in recent weeks.
They face a Widnes side who have dropped down the table after a promising start, their Easter weekend involved losses to St. Helens and Warrington Wolves.
Tim Sheens welcomes back six senior players have to his Hull KR squad for the clash.
Hull KR v Widnes Vikings betting (odds via Sky Bet)
- Hull KR to win - 8/13
- Drawn match - 18/1
- Widnes to win - 11/8
- Danny McGuire to score anytime - 15/8
- Justin Carney to score two tries or more - 10/3
Shaun Lunt, Danny McGuire, Andrew Heffernan, Robbie Mulhern, Jordan Walne and Danny Tickle all come back into the 19-man squad for the Betfred Super League clash, whilst Ben Kavanagh and Adam Quinlan are also named despite picking up knocks over the Easter period.
However, props Nick Scruton and Lee Jewitt miss out through injuries suffered against Wigan Warriors on Monday, with Matty Marsh, Liam Salter, Josh Johnson and Will Oakes being the other players to make way.
Warrington want to continue winning ways
Warrington Wolves will look to make it five wins in a row when they travel to face Salford Red Devils on Saturday.
The Sky Sports cameras will be in position for this one and it'll be a game in which the Wolves will be confident of securing the points.
They face a Salford side who have been inconsistent in recent weeks, a win over Catalans was followed by a comprehensive defeat to Leeds.
Salford boss Ian Watson has named his 19-man squad which sees Jake Shorrocks named for the first time since arriving on an initial one-month loan from Wigan Warriors last week.
Lee Mossop, Mark Flanagan and Craig Kopczak all didn’t feature on Easter Monday at Leeds but could return this weekend against the Wolves.
Salford Red Devils v Warrington Wolves betting (odds via Sky Bet)
- Salford to win - 9/4
- Drawn match - 20/1
- Warrington to win - 1/3
- Josh Charnley to score the first try - 8/1
- Stefan Ratchford to score a try anytime - 7/4
Ryan Lannon and Derrell Olpherts both featured over Easter and could be in line to retain their places for this crucial Betfred Super League tie.
Niall Evalds misses out on the squad after failing his concussion assessment in the defeat to the Rhinos on Monday afternoon.
Warrington head coach Steve Price has made just one change to the last 19-man squad with Morgan Smith named in place of Ben Murdoch-Masila, who misses out with a knee injury.
Victory could see the Wolves move to within two points of St. Helens at the top of the table, whereas a Salford win could see them back in the top-eight.
Follow Sporting Life on social media - find us on Facebook here or tweet @SportingLife
Related links
MOST READ
