Saints v Warriors: Teams

St Helens will be without stand-off Leon Pryce for Saturday's opening match of the season against Wigan.

The former Bradford and Great Britain player missed the last two months of last season with a neck injury and will be sidelined for the start of the new campaign with a groin injury.

However, Pryce's half-back partner Kyle Eastmond will make his first start since last September's qualifying semi-final after recovering from ankle surgery and Saints will give debuts to centre Michael Shenton and prop Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook.

Fellow newcomer Josh Perry, however, misses out as he is still recovering from a leg injury.

Prop James Graham, who led England in the Four Nations Series, will captain St Helens in the Grand-Final re-run at the Millennium Stadium as he embarks on a dual-leadership role with Paul Wellens.

Champions Wigan are without England international prop Stuart Fielden, who is still recovering from a knee operation, and fellow front-rower Eamon O'Carroll but will give debuts to former Melbourne forwards Ryan Hoffman and Jeff Lima.

The third of their signings from Melbourne, Brett Finch, is sidelined for the opening few weeks of the season by a neck injury.

And last year's Man of Steel, Pat Richards, is still a couple of months away from playing again following the ruptured Achilles tendon he suffered during last October's Grand Final success over Saints.

Centre Martin Gleeson and second rower Harrison Hansen do, however, make coach Michael Maguire's 19-man squad after recovering from injuries picked up in pre-season.

St Helens 19-man squad: Wellens, Gardner, Shenton, Soliola, Meli, Eastmond, Roby, Graham, Puletua, Wilkin, Flannery, Moore, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Clough, Wheeler, Ashurst, Dixon, Lomax, Foster

Wigan 19-man squad: S. Tomkins, Goulding, Gleeson, Carmont, Deacon, Leuluai, McIlorum, Coley, Hansen, J. Tomkins, S. O'Loughlin, Prescott, Lima, Hoffman, Charnley, Mossop, Farrell, Tuson, Marsh