St Helens Maintain Pressure on Leeds with Win Against York
Alex Walmsley scored a pivotal second-half try for St Helens in their match against York.
Tries: Leyland, Dagnall 2, Walmsley, Welsby, Davies, MacDonald
Goals: Hastings 6
Tries: Dee 2, Galeano
Goals: Hunter 2
St Helens kept pace with Leeds at the top of the Super League standings by securing a hard-fought victory over York. The final scoreline, however, did not fully reflect the competitiveness of the match.
Bill Leyland opened the scoring for Saints, and the team quickly extended their lead to 16-0 within 19 minutes, thanks to two tries from Owen Dagnall.
York responded strongly, with Jesse Dee crossing twice within six minutes, reducing the deficit to 16-10 at halftime.
The score remained unchanged into the final quarter until Alex Walmsley scored a decisive try that shifted momentum. Following this, Saints pulled away with additional tries from Jack Welsby, Jake Davies, and Nene MacDonald.
York managed a late consolation try through Scott Galeano.
The Knights showed commendable resilience and threatened to equalize early in the second half but ultimately suffered their seventh defeat of the season, remaining in 11th place.
Saints will be relieved to have overcome a more challenging opponent than anticipated ahead of their Challenge Cup semi-final against Wigan next weekend.
The breakthrough came when Tristan Sailor executed an excellent 40-20 kick, which set up Walmsley to power over from close range.
That try appeared to deflate York, who then struggled to counter Jackson Hastings' chip kick that resulted in a penalty in front of the posts. Hastings successfully converted, extending the lead to 14 points.
Welsby capitalized on space on the right wing, evading two weak tackles to score. Subsequently, Davies collected a loose ball and sprinted 80 metres to add a sixth try for Saints.
Another chip over York's defensive line was well-timed, allowing Saints to quickly shift play to the right wing where MacDonald scored.
York's efforts were rewarded with a third try in the final minute when Paul McShane delivered a kick to the right corner, which Galeano collected to score.
Team Lineups
St Helens: Sailor; Feldt, Robertson, MacDonald, Dagnall; Lomax, Hastings; Walmsley, Leyland, Lees, Wright, Whitley, Klemmer
Interchanges: Welsby, Delaney, Stephens, Davies
York: Nofoaluma; Bennison, Buchanan, Harrison, Galeano; Hingano, Hunter; Martin, McShane, Vaughan, Foster, Dee, Cook
Interchanges: Balmforth, Va'a, Sangare, Littelwood
