SAINTS coach Nathan Brown will consider bringing winger Ade Gardner in from the cold for the Super League play-offs after losing the services of full-back Shannon McDonnell with a broken jaw.

McDonnell, who joined Saints on a short-term contract to help cover the absence of Jonny Lomax, broke his jaw in the second minute of last Thursday's 39-12 home defeat by Warrington and is not expected to recover in time for the October 11 Grand Final if Brown's men reach Old Trafford.

"He doesn't require surgery so it's a six-week injury," Brown said.

"It's on the best side of what we could expect. I would have thought it highly unlikely (that he will play again this season) but a small possibility right at the death maybe."

McDonnell, an Australian who is currently involved in a legal battle with his former club Hull, gained match fitness with Saints' partner club Rochdale before getting another crack at Super League last month.

The former Hull KR full-back defied his broken jaw to score his third try in as many appearances for St Helens before being withdrawn at half-time and is now facing an uncertain future.

"Shannon came here basically on nothing, he just wanted to play some games of rugby," Brown said.

"Whether he was playing for a contract at St Helens or playing for a contract anywhere was the key for him moving forward and he was doing well.

"We haven't made a decision in that area at this stage but I'd like to think a player of his talent will get something somewhere."

The arrival of McDonnell enabled Brown to switch skipper Paul Wellens back into the halves following the season-ending broken leg sustained by Luke Walsh and the coach now faces a selection dilemma for the trip to his old club Huddersfield on Friday, when Saints have a second chance to clinch the League Leaders' Shield.

"We've got a few options that we can look at," Brown said. "We've rolled a few things around in training.

"Wello is the most obvious option but Swifty (Adam Swift) and Tommy Makinson have played there as well. So we've got enough to cover."

If Brown moves either Swift or Makinson, it would open up a vacancy on the wing for the 31-year-old Gardner, who has spent most of the season on loan at Hull KR.

Gardner, who has another year left on his Saints contract, has been told he does not figure in the plans of new Hull KR coach Chris Chester for 2015 and is due to return to his parent club after Sunday's final game at Wakefield.

"We haven't looked at it at this stage because his commitments are with Hull KR," Brown said.

"But any time you've got a good, experienced player out on loan and you're coming into finals footie, they're all things that are options.

"We'll see where things are before the play-offs start."

Gardner's last match for St Helens was in June 2013.