St Helens' hopes of a fifth consecutive Super League title were dealt a blow last week as they were beaten 34-6 by Hull FC; Paul Wellens' side face Castleford this Friday; Warrington take on Leeds on Thursday and Leigh play Hull KR a day later - both live on Sky Sports
Thursday 29 June 2023 13:05, UK
Paul Wellens has admitted St Helens were complacent in their 34-6 defeat to Hull FC last week, and have held "honest conversations" ahead of their clash with Castleford this Friday.
Saints looked to have shrugged off their sluggish start to the current campaign after dazzling back-to-back wins over Wigan and Huddersfield.
But having nudged themselves back into the play-off slots, they produced an abject display in that heavy loss at Hull.
In contrast Castleford go into the match on the back of a stirring win over previous pace-setters Warrington last week, and Wellens has demanded his players be on their guard for a repeat performance.
"I thought we were complacent at the weekend, Hull came at us with an intent and energy that we couldn't match, and that was the most disappointing aspect," said Wellens.
"Too many of us turned up to the game hoping for an easy night, and when you do that you make things much more difficult for yourself.
"It's a massive learning for us and we've had some pretty honest conversations this week. But what this group has done well in the past is respond to a bad performance and we need a really positive performance at the weekend."
Wellens did not exclude himself from criticism last week, admitting he may have made an error in opting to rest captain James Roby and hand Morgan Knowles a rare start at No 9.
So ineffective was the formation - though no particular blame could be attached to Knowles - that Roby emerged off the bench for the second half and immediately made a difference in his side's bid to claw their way back into the match.
Their patchy performances this season have made Saints increasingly aware of their talisman's impending retirement, with Warrington's Daryl Clark yet to be officially confirmed as his replacement next season.
"As a club we will be really smart about how we go about bringing in a replacement, and I will bring in a player of real quality who can add to this team," said Wellens.
"When Keiron [Cunningham] retired [in 2010], James Roby came in and was true to himself, and we expect the same from James Roby's replacement. James Roby is going to retire and we will move forward as a club and deal with that."
