St. Helens stall on Harry Robertson decision as position debate roars on

St Helens will continue to utilise Harry Robertson as and where is seen fit week by week, assistant coach Lee Briers has confirmed.

Last weekend as injury-hit Saints hosted Catalans, youth product Robertson was handed a start in the halves for the first time in his senior career.

In his 55th first-team game for the club, Robertson was named at stand-off by head coach Paul Rowley, and enjoyed a barnstormer of an evening, grabbing two tries to help the side to a much-needed morale boosting 34-18 victory.

Plenty of supporters and some of the media have been calling for the 20-year-old to be given a go in the halves in recent months, with the dilemma of the Red V’s spine still unsolved.

But despite shining bright last weekend, there is nothing set in stone that Robertson will remain there long-term.

St Helens stall on Harry Robertson decision as position debate roars on

A versatile back, the bulk of Robertson’s 55 career appearances to date have come in the centres, scoring 18 tries in 38 games when named there.

One try came having started at full-back, where he’s played 13 times. And in addition to his sole start at six last weekend, he’s also featured off the bench on three occasions without registering a try.

Friday night brings the derby as Saints travel to rivals Wigan Warriors, and assistant Briers undertook pre-match media duties on Tuesday afternoon.

On Robertson, he said: “Harry, wherever you put him, he plays really well.

“There’s a development of Harry, he’s still only 20 and we don’t want to put too much pressure on (him).

“In previous years, throwing young halves in and letting them sink, it’s not good.

“Harry’s doing great at the moment, he played really well at six and we’re looking forward to seeing him develop further in his career.”

Robertson – who till turn 21 in December – was, of course, at the centre of a transfer dispute between Saints and fellow Super League outfit Wakefield not too long ago.

Trinity are believed to have wagered a six-figure bid for Robertson, one of Super League’s brightest young stars.

Briers, a legendary half-back in his own right during his playing career, continued: “The strength of Harry is that he can play centre, he can play wing, he can play full-back, he can play six or seven.

“It’d be silly for me to say, ‘he’s nailed on this (position)’.

“As we’ve known, we just can’t get through game-by-game without getting injuries.

“I’m not going to jinx it, I’m going to touch wood and hopefully, he’s going to put his best foot forward this week.”

WATCH THE NEW EPISODE OF THE LRL PODCAST!