Rovers duo Jordan Dezaria and Bill Leyland impressed at Saints
Willie Peters and Paul Rowley
St Helens head coach Paul Rowley admits he won’t hesitate to put another call in to Hull KR should the need for reinforcements arise.
Rovers duo Jordan Dezaria and Bill Leyland made the switch to the Brewdog Stadium last week on short-term one-week loan deals, with Saints finding themselves in the midst of an injury crisis.
The pair certainly made an impression too, as they helped Rowley’s side to a derby win over Wigan Warriors, with Leyland sensationally making the difference with two late tries to give St Helens a famous win over their fierce rivals.
Both players returned to Craven Park this week and they’ll be in contention to represent Rovers against York Knights on Saturday in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals.
Rowley insists no conversation has been had around taking the pair back to Merseyside, but should St Helens find themselves short of options once more, he wouldn’t be against making another phone call.
“It’s not being investigated just yet,” Rowley told the press this afternoon when asked “That was a short-term fix, so to speak, for an injury crisis that was pretty unprecedented, to be fair.
“We kind of ran out of options to fill them gaps and still perform to the standard that we need to so it’s not something I like to overly utilise.
“However, both players came in and were fantastic so if that situation presents itself again, then we won’t be afraid to make the same phone call. Depending on their availability, then it will depend on the outcome.”
On the signing of Leyland specifically, Rowley added: “It was nothing to do with anything he’s done previously. I’ve got an awareness of him. It’s our job to know who players are.
“We had an area that we needed filling and that became available. There was nothing overly complicated or intense about it. It just happened.”