Saints draw positives from win over Halifax (From St Helens Star)

Saints draw positives from win over Halifax

4:27pm Thursday 28th January 2010

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SAINTS wrapped up their pre-season preparations with a second win over Championship opposition in four days.

Once again there were positives for coach Mick Potter to draw upon; Sia Soliola scored on his home debut, the new half back combination of Kyle Eastmond and Leon Pryce knitted together well and the returning Nick Fozzard has once again added some size to the front row.

The first half in particular saw some good football – but the second half never really got going.

And with Saints throwing on a succession of youngsters from the bench the game became a rather disjointed affair.

The beneficiary from this game Mike Bennett, who had to split the gate with the opposition, must have thought that this fixture was cursed.

After his earlier game against Barrow was cancelled due to heavy snow, this encounter was briefly threatened when thick fog descended at teatime.

Although remarkably it lifted 20 minutes before the kick off, it must have wiped off a 1,000 from the gate.

Among the 2,116 crowd was a healthy contingent from Halifax, with last year’s beaten Championship finalists bringing more fans and making more noise that a number of Super League clubs did last term.

Saints fielded a strong team with only Keiron Cunningham, Chris Flannery, Paul Clough and Francis Meli missing from the first choice 17.

The bench, featuring internationals Scott Moore, Maurie Fa’asavalu and James Graham, underlined that.

A handful of players backed up from Tuesday night’s game – and the seemingly beefed-up Fa’asavalu in particular gave another sterling effort on that score.

Although the real tests will only come when he confronts the seasoned Super League packs, Fa’asavalu has given hints in the last two outings that he has recaptured some of the menace that made him such an intimidating opponent in 2006.

Having an old-headed, big lump like the no-nonsense Nick Fozzard will help on that score.

Playing his first game in the red vee since his return from Hull KR, Fozzard showed he still does what it says on the tin – always there to take the ball in, clear the line and make hard yards.

Saints began well when hooker James Roby, enjoying a rare start to a game, sneaking over for a fifth minute try, with Kyle Eastmond slotting the simple conversion from in front of the posts.

Halifax hit back against the run of play when Paul Wellens juggled a pass forward, which was immediately seized upon by centre James Haley, who raced 60 metres to touch down with Lee Paterson converting.

Saints got their noses back in front when Fa’asavalu took a flat pass close to the line and smashed his way past two helpless defenders to touch down.

Soliola, taking a first glimpse of Knowsley Road on a match night, celebrated the occasion with a tackle-busting diagonal run to touch down on the half hour mark.

Eastmond was on target with both conversions to make it 18-6 and then Saints plunged the sword into the visitors with two tries just before the break.

The versatile Gary Wheeler, who will put his hand up for any position, polished off the first of those deputising for Meli on the left wing.

Then Eastmond and Soliola combined to send Wellens on a surging run to the line, with Eastmond’s kick making it 28-6 at the break.

The second half was a bit of a non-event, with Fax only breaking the second half deadlock when Anthony Bowman’s dab was touched down by the Dylan Nash.

It took Saints until six minutes from the end to cross the line, with Pryce forcing his way over, shortly after beneficiary Bennett had entered the fray for his swansong in the red vee.

Bennett, who temporarily registered as a player and passed his head-check to play the game, saw his conversion creep over the crossbar.

Wellens intercepted a Frank Watene pass, resulting in Pryce going in for his second, with Bennett this time missing the conversion from in front of the posts Fax had the last word when half back when Luke Branighan went over just before the hooter, with Paterson goaling.

Saints: Wellens; Gardner, Soliola, Gidley, Wheeler; Pryce, Eastmond; Fozzard, Roby, Emmitt, Puletua, Ashurst, Wilkin. Subs: Fa’asavalu, Moore, Yates, Magennis, Dean, Bradbury, Johnson, Lomax, Foster, Graham, Dixon, Bennett.

Halifax: Royston; Paterson, Goddard, Haley, Worincy; Branighan, Gene; Wrench, Gleeson, Cherryolme, Larder, Nash, Beswick. Subs: Flemming, Russell, Roberts, Watene, White, Bowman, Bannister.

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