Cunningham: In superb form

The big conundrum here is that the Catalan coach is playing against the team that he is going to coach next year.

I really don't see Catalans getting close to St Helens, but Mick Potter will want to produce something special, not only for Catalans, but also to show the Saints fans that he is a good coach.

To be fair Catalans have not been playing all that well in the past fortnight. They were very fortunate to get the win against Harlequins at the Millennium Stadium, and they got turned over by Bradford in the Challenge Cup. It is a matter of them getting back to basics.

Then you look at St Helens, and they are back at the top aren't they? It is an amazing scenario with them. If they hit a bit of bad form then people love to jump up and down and claim that they are over and passed it, but they have shown over the last fortnight that they are far from over.

The question is whether the French outfit can match St Helens in the forwards. Catalans have the tendency to try and hold the opposition down at the play the ball area. When you do that, it means that you are often late getting into your first and second position.

If there are more than two men tackling, then you are guaranteed that the tacklers running backwards will have their backs to the opposition, and that will be manna from heaven for the likes of James Roby and Cunningham. Then is non better for punishing the opposition for doing that. with the likes of Graham and Jon Wilkin in the Saints forwards, well sometimes it takes more than two tacklers to bring them down.

I fear for the Catalans if they don't get a good start. They need to rock saints early on, they have the ability, Thomas Bosc and Adam Mogg have been great for them. So they have the strike power, but it is whether they will be prepared mentally.

They don't know who their next coach is going to be and as a player they will be wondering why no one wants to come. The mental aspect of sport is vital and it can affect performance.

It is difficult weekend for them, but don't think they will lie down,. Potter will want to show the Saints fans what eh can do. He is a quite achiever. He knows what he wants out of his players, and he usually get's it. But this time I don't think it will be enough.

Stevo says

Home win: I just can't see anything else than a convincing win for St Helens. I don't think it is going to be too hard for Saints to exploit a few weaknesses.

Star player: Keiron Cunningham (St Helens) - The one man who I think has carried them through not only the bad patches, but since the start of the season is Kieron Cunningham. He has been a star as has James Graham who has given his all this year. It must be pleasing for coach Daniel Anderson.