St Helens vs Catalans: Jon Wilkin - Onus on Saints to keep pushing forward as they welcome Dragons
Sky Sports' Jon Wilkin believes St Helens will have to be wary of the Catalans Dragons who have been the standout side in this year's Super League competition; watch St Helens vs Catalans Dragons live on Sky Sports Arena on Thursday from 7.30pm, with kick-off at 8pm
Thursday 13 July 2023 22:25, UK
Sky Sports rugby league pundit Jon Wilkin believes the pressure will be on St Helens to perform when they face top-of-the-table Catalans Dragons on Thursday, live on Sky.
After a bumpy start to the season for the reigning champions, losing five of their opening 10 matches, they have found a burst of form, most recently beating Warrington Wolves as they made it eight wins in their last nine games.
Coach Paul Wellens is content with Saints' recent consistency and another win would put them within two points of the Dragons with a game in hand.
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Wilkin, however, believes St Helens will have to be at their very best to overcome the standard-bearers so far in the 2023 season as they welcome Sam Tomkins and Mitchell Pearce back for the huge Super League clash.
"I think if you are in that top six now you are wary of St Helens," said Wilkin.
"Saints haven't been great this year, they haven't been fantastic this year, they have been up and down.
"They were only a couple of results away from being in real bother but they have managed to turn that around.
"They certainly need to keep that form going so they have a big reason to be great against Catalans.
"Catalans, on the other hand, are just quietly going about their business and slowly achieving, with lots of disruption in their side.
"I think they have been incredible all year.
"It is two sides, Saints who really need to keep pushing forward and Catalans who are trying to aggressively keep hold of that top spot."
Although the Dragons will be buoyed by some star returnees, they come into the game on the back of a shock 22-14 defeat to the Huddersfield Giants on home turf.
For their head coach Steve McNamara, the quick turnaround into such a pivotal game in the Super League season is the perfect opportunity to quickly right some wrongs and bring his side back together as they look to keep a firm grasp on top spot in the table.
"We have got no time really. It is a short preparation time into travel," said McNamara.
"It is probably what we need. We don't want too much time to dwell on what happened at the weekend.
"It is ideal for us to be fresh, energised, connected to each other, like we have been for the majority of the season.
"We were a long way off at the weekend against Huddersfield and we were disappointed with our performance.
"It has been a long time since we have felt that way after a game and we look forward to the next challenge which is a really interesting and exciting one for us at St Helens.
"For us, it will be about overcoming the disappointment of last week and the excitement of playing St Helens on their home ground."
Live Betfred Super League
Watch St Helens take on Catalans Dragons live on Sky Sports Arena on Thursday from 7.30pm, with kick-off at 8pm.
