Friday 25 March 2016 15:08, UK
It's that time of year again. The historic Easter derby between St Helens and Wigan.
Both sides have a point to prove after losing last week to Leeds and Widnes respectively, so who will come out with Lancashire bragging rights on Friday? We look at three key match-ups:
Luke Walsh v Matty Smith
The key to deciding this game could lie in the halves. And in particular, the two number sevens who've been playing recently without their regular half-back partners.
For Luke Walsh, it's a tale of two parts. In attack, the scrum half can be brilliant. Take his first-half contributions against Leeds. One perfectly weighted ball allowed Kyle Amor to score before stepping through himself for a four-pointer. He then put Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook into a gap for a try as St Helens recovered from a 16-0 deficit. Eight try assists this season is the fifth best in Super League and the best amongst his St Helens team-mates.
And with 37 attacking kicks, just behind Kevin Brown in the Super League ranks, it's clear Walsh is the go-to man in terms of with the ball for St Helens. But he does miss tackles. 16 misses from 66 attempts highlights a weakness in his game and that was all too evident last Friday when Carl Ablett ran straight through him for a crucial score. So can Walsh put any defensive concerns to one side and use that attacking game to beat Wigan?
Wearing 7 for Wigan is the familiar face of Matty Smith. As an ex-Saint, you can always expect Smith to pay special attention to this game. But the Wigan attack hasn't quite hit its straps this season. They've scored just 116 points so far, the third worst in Super League and that's despite losing just once in 2016.
And Smith might have expected more from his own form. Just two try assists so far and he's come up with eight errors, the second worst in the side. But Smith is the focal point of the attack. 22 attacking kicks is 15 more than anyone else in the Warriors side, highlighting just how crucial he is to Wigan's creativity.
Smith has shown his worth this season with a sublime match-winning drop goal against Hull FC. For Wigan to click, they need Smith at the top of his game. Don't bet against him producing something special against his former club.
Kyle Amor v Ben Flower
What a match-up in the front row this week. You can expect plenty of grunt up front as the two packs get stuck into each other for 80 minutes.
For St Helens, Alex Walmsley is consistently brilliant, but credit should also go to his front row partner for his form so far this season. Kyle Amor is only just behind his teammate in terms of metres made (702), while his average gain is actually higher with 7.71m a drive, up on his 7.08m average from 2015.
He's also come up with eight offloads, two more than anyone else in the Red Vee, while his 141 tackles are the fifth best in the side.
Amor showed a nifty side to his game against his former club Leeds too, skipping over for a first half try. Some seriously impressive statistics then for the front rower, and he'll be looking to go toe-to-toe with the Wigan props, especially considering who will be wearing the opposite number 10 shirt.
It's fair to say Ben Flower will never get a warm reception from St Helens fans, and that infamous incident in the 2014 Grand Final has resurfaced ahead of this derby over what's happened with Lance Hohaia this week. But Flower dealt with the flak last season and will be ready for Friday's game too.
Wigan could do with a bit more from their front rower. His average gain is well down on last season, just 5.77m compared to 2015's 7.47m. But while he's made just 323 metres from 56 carries, Flower's work rate in defence is impressive.
He's fourth on the list of Wigan's tacklers, with 160 hits, behind just the hooker Sam Powell and the workhorse second rows John Bateman and Liam Farrell. Expect St Helens to come flying out of the traps at Flower on Friday, but the Wigan prop is capable of handling it.
Tommy Makinson v Dom Manfredi
Two of England's brightest stars are in action on the wing this Good Friday. And you can be sure new national Head Coach Wayne Bennett will be keeping a close eye on them at Langtree Park.
For St Helens, the finishing powers of Tommy Makinson are no longer a Super League secret. He's made the tight corner score his trademark since his debut in 2011. And the Saints fans have been treated to three Makinson tries in 2016.
He's an out and out finisher, a player capable of producing something from absolutely nothing. His kick returns perhaps aren't the strongest part of his game, registering just 459 metres at an average gain of 6.04m, way down on teammate Adam Swift's average metres for 2016.
But Makinson is fantastic under the high ball, and even better at claiming attacking kicks, offering Luke Walsh a good target to hit out wide on the final play. A lower leg injury hindered his progress in 2015 and he missed the whole of pre-season after ankle ligament surgery. But Makinson will hope to keep progressing this season and also hope to catch Bennett's eye by the end of 2016.
He won't face off against Makinson, but Dom Manfredi is making waves of his own in the Wigan shirt this season. He's made the number 5 spot his own after Joe Burgess' move to the Sydney Roosters, but Manfredi had already gained Shaun Wane's trust after starting the Grand Final in place of Josh Charnley.
He's had a cracking start to 2016 as well. Three tries so far is a decent return in a Wigan side struggling for points, but Manfredi has proved capable of punching holes in any defence with his kick return.
He's made 577 metres at an average gain of 8.24m, including four clean breaks (the 2nd best in the Wigan side) and 32 tackle busts (also the 2nd best in the Wigan side).
That game changing ability was best highlighted in the win over Leeds; a fantastic 80 metre break leading to John Bateman's try. If St Helens are to claim derby bragging rights, they need to shut down Manfredi and keep him quiet. Just don't let him do the post-match interviews!
