THERE is a mixed bag of injury news ahead of Saints’ biggest game of the season so far on Saturday.

Props Alex Walmsley and Matty Lees will both be back for the Challenge Cup quarter final against Catalans Dragons.

Three-quarter Will Hopoate is also 100 per cent fit to return for the knockout clash after missing three weeks.

Regan Grace, however, will be out with a hamstring sustained in the game at Whitehaven – an injury that will keep him out for three-four weeks.

St Helens Star:

Jake Wingfield

Also missing will be loose forward Jake Wingfield, who failed his HIA at Leeds and must go through the 11-day protocol.

Sione Mata’utia will remain sidelined for three-four weeks.

Coach Kristian Woolf said: “Al will be back. He is 100 per cent right.

“He was very close last week but there are just a few boxes to be ticked before you can be 100 per cent confident that a player can come back and play from a hamstring injury.

“It was not a risk worth taking last week given who he is and what we have coming up this time of the year and the games we have to look forward to. It was a smart decision.

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“Matty Lees will be right. He had an ankle injury from the Warrington – and probably in hindsight did not get the decision right playing him in Toulouse.

“He aggravated it and meant that he had to have a little bit longer after that.

“He is 100 per cent right now and will certainly be in the team.

“Will Hopoate is similar to Al, and he had not quite ticked every box to give a reassurance that he was ready to come back from a hamstring, so we held him back for a week.

“But he is 100 per cent right for this week.”

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It was not as good news for Welsh flyer Grace, who missed the opening six rounds of Super League with a bicep injury and then injured his hamstring in the cup tie at Whitehaven.

“Regan is going to be another three or four weeks and will be a similar sort of timeframe to Sione Mata’utia,” said Woolf.

“It is likely to be four weeks, but we hope it could possibly be shorter.

“It was just bad luck with the way he actually landed in the tackle at Whitehaven.

“It is frustrating for Reegs.

“He is a really good fella who always wants to do his best by the team and it means a lot to him to play for St Helens and play with blokes he has come through the Academy with and played with for a long time.

“He had a good pre-season and worked really hard and was champing at the bit to get out there. He has just got to be a little bit patient at the moment.

“He has a lot of footy ahead of him. If he gets it right, he still has well more than half a season to go and is going to enjoy the back end of the year because he is going to come in really fresh.”

St Helens Star:

Jake Wingfield

Wingfield went off with a head knock at Leeds and because he did not come back on to the field, he is unable to play this weekend and he will therefore go through the 11-day protocol but he will be available for Wigan next week.

“That is a real shame because he has not quite been able to string games together like we would have liked him to.

“If you look at his performance against Leeds, everyone can see the potential that he has got.

“He is tough, he likes taking the ball forward, has excellent skill and is a strong defender as well.

“He is another one who I see fitting into our team going forward, but he just needs a bit of luck so he can string some games together so he can really build on that improvement,” Woolf said.