Saints v Giants: Teams
Saints duo Sean Long and Keiron Cunningham could return for Friday's engage Super League clash with Huddersfield.
Last Updated: 20/08/09 4:00pm
Saints duo Sean Long and Keiron Cunningham could return for Friday's engage Super League clash with Huddersfield.
Veteran stand-off Long has been sidelined for seven weeks with a broken jaw and failed in an attempt to make a comeback in Saints' disastrous Challenge Cup semi-final against the Giants two weeks ago.
Cunningham missed last week's Super League defeat against Hull KR with a hamstring problem while Kyle Eastmond, Gary Wheeler, Bryn Hargreaves, Andrew Dixon and Chris Dean all remain out.
Long-term injury victims Maurie Fa'asavalu and Jason Cayless are still not fit to return.
Saints will be looking to restore some confidence ahead of their next match against Leeds Rhinos as they bid to finish top of the Super League for the fifth year in succession.
"It is now a case of aiming for a highest possible finish in the league and then the competition starts all over again in September," said coach Mick Potter.
Giants weakened
Huddersfield are likely to make a number of changes to the side that knocked Saints out of the Cup as they keep one eye on the final against Warrington next week.
Stephen Wild, Paul Whatuira and Jamahl Lolesi all picked up injuries in Sunday's defeat to Bradford, but coach Nathan Brown will be resting most of his key players ahead of their first Wembley appearance in 47 years.
Skipper Brett Hodgson takes a break with 18-year-old namesake Elliott making his debut at full-back, while two other youngsters Keal Carlile and Josh Griffin are also in line to make their first appearances for the club.
Simon Finnigan, Michael Lawrence, Tom Hemingway, Larne Patrick, Andy Raleigh and Shaunt Lunt have all been recalled and have a chance to stake their claim for the trip to Wembley.
Prop Paul Jackson, who missed the Bradford defeat, returns to captain the side in Hodgson's absence.
"We know that the final is in the back of our minds and we are missing a few key players, but the lads that are coming in are very capable and eager to show up well and rise to the challenge," he said.
"We know that we can't think about anything other than what is in front of us, everything is focused on the game against Saints, and after that one is over we will start looking forward to Wembley."
St Helens 19-man squad: Wellens, Gardner, Gidley, Meli, Pryce, Long, Cunningham, Graham, Gilmour, Wilkin, Flannery, Roby, Puletua, Clough, Ellis, Ashurst, Lomax, Emmitt, Johnson.
Huddersfield 19-man squad: Aspinwall, Crabtree, Faiumu, D. Griffin, Raleigh, Finnigan, P. Jackson, Kirmond, Lawrence, Moore, Cudjoe, Lunt, Hemingway, J. Griffin, Carlile, Larne, Sculthorpe, E. Hodgson, A. Brown.