SCRUM half Luke Walsh and Joe Greenwood make a welcome return to Saints’ 19-man squad for Thursday’s tricky Super League Round 19 fixture at Castleford Tigers.

Luke Thompson, who missed the win over Wigan with a head knock, is also added to the squad leaving coach Keiron Cunningham with something of a selection headache.

Linchpin Walsh has not played since needing further surgery on his ankle after a brief return to action following his broken leg.

His last game was the defeat in Catalans on May 9, and remarkably Saints have won all five games in his absence.

Greenwood, who started the season in tremendous form, has been out since breaking his leg on Good Friday.

Cunningham was delighted to have Walsh back on board, particularly in the week that it was announced that the Aussie is taking up the third year of his contract at Langtree Park.

“It is brilliant to have him re-sign and he is going to be instrumental in what we do over the next 18 months and he is a key figure who I want around as long as possibly can,” Cunningham said.

“I was really pleased when he came to me to take up his extension.

“He is a really honourable type of bloke and there were all the links with Australia and people saying he is leaving, no matter what his agent was saying, he was always telling me that he didn’t want to go anywhere because he felt he owed the club a lot for the way they stood by him when he was injured, including flying his parents over.

“He has stood by his word, he doesn’t want to let anyone down and is desperate to lift trophies at St Helens.

“I want him around for as long as we can keep him, but I think it will be difficult after next year because, hopefully, if he goes through next year injury free he is going to be sensational for us.”

He is expected to start Thursday’s game with Jon Wilkin moving back into the pack.

Saints’ 17 will come from: Turner, Jones, Swift, Burns, Walsh, Masoe, Roby, Amor, Wilkin, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Walmsley, Flanagan, Percival, Thompson, Richards, Greenwood, Dawson, Savelio, McDonnell.

Castleford’s19-man squad: Webster, Shenton, Carney, Roberts, Gale, Lynch, Milner, Millington, Holmes, Cook, Massey, Boyle, Moors, Moore, Solomona, Finn, McMeeken, Gibson, Bailey.

The game kicks off at 8pm and the referee is Ben Thaler.