Saints v Dragons: Teams
Close-season signing Mark Flanagan is set to return for St Helens when they face Catalan Dragons at Langtree Park on Friday.
Last Updated: 24/02/12 4:57pm
Close-season signing Mark Flanagan is set to return for St Helens when they face Catalan Dragons at Langtree Park on Friday.
The forward made his debut on the opening weekend of the season against London Broncos but has missed the last two games with a chest injury.
Stand-off Lee Gaskell also returns after missing the 36-36 draw with Hull KR last time out with a leg problem.
Paul Clough and Tommy Makinson return to the 19-man squad after being rested against Rovers, with forward Josh Perry and winger Ade Gardner making way for them.
Saints boss Royce Simmons, whose side are level on points with Warrington at the top of Stobart Super League after three games, says he is rotating his squad due to injury problems.
"Earlier in the week we had a lot of players unable to train because of various muscle injuries and caulks so we ran with a lot of young kids," he told his side's official website.
Knocks
"I have been rotating my squad to make sure if anyone is carrying a knock they get chance to rest and everyone gets a hit out.
"If we get four injuries next week we will have players who have had a few hit outs that can come in and do a job for us.
"I don't think it's a bad thing at this time of the season and it isn't something new. Nathan Brown did it at Huddersfield last season as did Tony Smith."
Catalan skipper Gregory Mounis could start his first game of the season for the Dragons after recovering from injury.
However, the visitors are still without Louis Anderson, Frederic Vaccari, Cyril Stacul and Eloi Pelissier. Leon Pryce has been named in the squad and could play against his old club.
The Dragons are the only team in Super League to still have a perfect record at this early stage in the season and currently lie one point behind Saints with a game in hand.
St Helens squad: Wellens, Shenton, Soliola, Meli, Hohaia, Lomax, Roby, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Puletua, Wilkin, Flannery, Laffranchi, Flanagan, Clough, Wheeler, Dixon, Gaskell, Makinson, Foster.
Catalas squad: Greenshields, Blanch, Pryce, Sa, Bosc, Dureau, Ferriol, Henderson, Casty, Menzies, Mounis, Raguin, Baile, Millard, Fakir, Paea, Baitieri, Dupport, Fisher.