30 September 2023 , 20:29
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TOMMY MAKINSON made sure James Roby’s leaving party wasn’t wrecked as champions St Helens marched closer to yet another Grand Final.
The England winger’s 57th minute try proved the difference in a scrappy play-offs eliminator and kept alive hopes of a record-extending fifth straight Super League title win. Legendary hooker Roby, 37, made his 550th club appearance - and last on home turf - knowing defeat would mean the end of his career. But he and fellow retiree Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook get at least one more outing now as Saints head to Catalans on Friday night for a place at Old Trafford.
It was their tenth successive victory since losing the Challenge Cup semi-final to Leigh but they made hard work of it against Warrington. Boss Paul Wellens insisted: “We knew what we’d come up against. Warrington make it very difficult for you. But we managed the emotion of the occasion. With James and Louie playing their last home games, there was a lot of emotion and that can drain you.
“But we focused on performance and the result makes it worthwhile. The resilience of this side shone through. Robes just defies belief. He's unflappable. There’s so many things I could say about him - and I include Louie in this - but there was a big fanfare and huge love for two blokes here today and the biggest compliment I could say is they’re a bit embarrassed by it all. It shows how humble they are but they deserve every superlative. They’ve had a massive, massive influence on this club.”
Saints overcame the sixth minute loss of England second-row Joe Batchelor to a hamstring injury to dominate the first half. But they botched a series of chances so only led 8-0 after Lewis Dodd’s try and two Mark Percival goals. Their rivals - who only sneaked into the top-six despite leading Super League in April - then stunned them with Connor Wrench’s fine solo try in the 43rd minute.
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Captain Stefan Ratchford struck a touchline conversion and two minutes later sloppy Saints hit more problems. England prop Alex Walmsley was yellow carded for a high shot on Jordan Crowther. They were rattled when down to 12 men, James Bell twice coming up with big errors before Curtis Sironen copped Joe Philbin high and Ratchford levelled.
St Helens' Lewis Dodd (second right) celebrates scoring their sides first try against Warrington with team-mates Alex Walmsley, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Jon Bennison (Getty Images)But, with Walmsley back on, mistake-ridden Pete Mata’utia spilled the ball for the second time to invite Saints back in. Makinson duly obliged, finishing off a slick move for his 23rd try of the season. Percival improved and, from the restart, it was Warrington who lost the plot. Prop Joe Bullock steamed in high on Matty Lees as Saints’ England prop returned the kick-off and his yellow card spelled the end for them, Percival later adding a penalty to make sure.
Ex-England captain Sam Burgess arrives in mid-October to take over as Wolves head coach with Warrington still having not won a championship since 1955. Caretaker boss Gary Chambers said: “There was plenty of effort but not enough smarts. You can’t do some of the things we did and expect a result in these sorts of games. It’s tough to go out like that.”
Catalans have signed Melbourne playmaker Jayden Nikorima, 27, on a two-year deal.