Woolf Q&A: Lewis Dodd's Saints debut will prepare him for future

MC: How have you used this last quiet period before the fixtures start coming in two a week?

KW: We tried to get the best of both worlds in terms of trying to get a little bit of work into the players that we haven’t been able to do over the last few weeks because we have been worrying about the games. Those games are higher in intensity and we are doing more work to protect the players week to week when they are playing.

But at the same time we have needed to make sure that they some time off so that they are feeling fresh.

I think that we have done a really good job there in terms of getting the work into them and looking at them in training they look really fresh and should be feeling that going into the back end.

MC: You gave Lewis Dodd his debut off the bench at nine rather than at seven?

KW: I did consider putting him in the halves, but it is important that we don’t ask too much of James Roby every single week – he plays in a tough position there and we know that we need him playing plenty of minutes in big games.

That was part of the reason for that choice.

We have always prepped with young Doddy that he could end up playing some hooker and that is a positive for him in terms of his development, not necessarily thinking he has to go straight to the halves.

He has some versatility about him and one of the things you get from playing hooker is that you get through a lot of work and have to tackle a lot.

That was a good introduction for him and he obviously handled it pretty well.

He is going to play a few more games for us before the end of the year.

He won’t necessarily play every game because we need to share that 14 role around a bit and Aaron Smith has still got to get some time there and Jack Welsby can play there too because he is so versatile.

Lewis is certainly going to play some footy for us at the back end of the year and he will get plenty of opportunity in the halves too.

It was great to be able to give him that exposure last week and when the time comes, in a week or maybe two weeks, if we ask Lewis to go in there and be our half back and tell the team what to do and really hold his hands up as our dominant half.

Then he is going to be a little bit better from the fact that he has got those nerves from a debut out of the way and knows a bit more of what Super League is about.

Read: This day 36 years ago when a Saints legend made his debut>

MC: It must be odd preparing for the same team twice in a week?

KW: We are just worrying about this game and once we get through it we get a look at them and what we did well and what we don’t do so well against them we can worry about next week after that.

It is definitely an odd situation. But the second was initially the Cas game but that got changed due to a Covid case elsewhere.

MC: The next month or so will be like three lots of Easters, do you have a strategy to cope with that?

KW: We have got a little bit of a plan to it. It is not something we have shared with the payers just yet as we don’t want them worrying about that this weekend.

Once we do get to it we will make sure we go through that with them.

It is important that we have a plan and when we get there that we stick to it, if we think that is the best idea, and not be chopping and changing.

But it is also important that we get through the next couple of games and see where we are with injury and in terms of wins and losses – and go from there.

MC: It is tight at the top with five battling for four play-off spots, two wins here could give you a cushion.

KW: Every week is important, there’s eight games left which isn’t a lot of footy and we know that once we get into the short turnarounds there will be disruption to the squad and there will be some players who will back up and others that don’t.

There will be times when we have to make sure the players get a rest as well.

Every game is important and so when we have a strong team available, we have to take full advantage of that.

MC: You have to qualify for the semi but also be in some fit shape for the knockout stage....

KW: That is exactly right, we have to make sure we qualify but also be in a good condition both physically and mentally when we get there to do actually something with it.

It is a fine line.

MC: The domestic season has not rolled in November since 1995, what difference will this have on the way teams play?

KW: We saw a bit of the weather’s impact at the weekend with the Challenge Cup games. The two teams that won both had a really good kicking game in particular and that certainly helped them. Both teams got some results off their fifth play as well.

The players are very aware of what is required when the weather changes and it is very similar to the start of the year, when it is a bit colder and wet.

The players are adept in that, but it is just a little bit of an adjustment to what they are used to in the way the normal season usually finishes.