Wildcats v Saints: Teams

Oliver Wilkes: returns for Wakefield after a one-game ban

Lee Gaskell: recalled to Mike Rush's 19-man squad

Wakefield are set to give a debut to academy product Danny Cowling at centre in Sunday's Super League clash against St Helens.

Cowling - who has impressed on loan at Doncaster this season - comes in for Dean Collis, who is suspended.

Prop Oliver Wilkes returns from a one-match ban to take the place of Matt James, who pulled a calf muscle in training.

Head coach Richard Agar is playing down their chances of making the play-offs despite three successive victories in as many weeks.

"I think we are a long shot," he said. "I think we'd have to win every game and results would have to go our way as well but it's nice at this stage that all of a sudden we are getting talked about that we have a chance.

"I definitely think Sunday's match is potentially the most difficult one we've got left and that's not being disrespectful to anyone else.

St Helens are without England forward Jon Wilkin, who joins Sia Soliola on the injured list.

Either Shaun Magennis or Joe Greenwood, who made his Super League debut in the home win over Wakefield in May, will fill the hole while stand-off Lee Gaskell is also recalled to the 19-man squad.

Saints interim head coach Mike Rush reckons his side will have to be at their best as they bid to bounce back from Monday's home defeat by Warrington.

"They showed against those sides what a good team they are," Rush told the Saints website. ""Tim Smith is playing well and Danny Kirmond and Ali Lauitiiti have good go forward. We certainly know what we are up against and we need to raise the bar. If we do what we can do we are confident we can get a result.

Composure

"We know from the match against Warrington we need to get good ball, have a better kicking game and show more composure. We were disappointed we didn't put in our best display on Monday.

"We know we can do better but take nothing from Warrington, they strangled us at times and we didn't do the right thing at the right time.

"We will have to do better come the playoff rounds and starting this weekend. We will make some tweaks; there is no scratching of heads or fear going forward.

"We just need to be able to string back to back performances and we haven't done that. Against the Catalans and Giants we were good, but didn't do that on Monday."

Wakefield squad: Mathers, Fox, Cowling, Cockayne, Wood, Lauitiiti, Ellis, Raleigh, John, Washbrook, Amor, Johnson, Kirmond, Mariano, T Smith, Trout, Wilkes, Sykes, L Smith.

St Helens squad: Wellens, Shenton, Meli, Hohaia, Lomax, Perry, Roby, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Puletua, Flannery, Laffranchi, Flanagan, Clough, Magennis, Dixon, Gaskell, Makinson, J Jones, Greenwood.

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