Pryce left out by Saints

Leon Pryce (centre)
12 April 2012

England international Leon Pryce has been left out of the St Helens team to play Leeds in Saturday's Engage Super League Grand Final.

The former Bradford stand-off, who turns 30 on Sunday, has missed only four of the 13 Grand Finals since they were introduced in 1998 but misses out on the chance to extend his record to 10 appearances due to a lack of match practice.

Pryce missed last year's Old Trafford defeat by Wigan with a neck injury while a groin problem has restricted him to just eight appearances in his final season with St Helens.

Pryce, who is joining Catalan Dragons on a three-year contract from 2012, was poised to return against Wigan in last Saturday's semi-final after recovering from injury but was forced to pull out on the day of the game with a stomach illness.

Instead, Simmons has called up 21-year-old three-quarter Tom Armstrong, who has been playing on a dual-registration with Leigh for much of the year and will be vying with Gary Wheeler and Matty Ashurst for a place on the bench.

Pryce's absence will enable St Helens full-back Paul Wellens and Leeds' former Bradford prop Jamie Peacock to equal his record of nine Grand Final appearances.

Leeds coach Brian McDermott has called up centre Kallum Watkins and second rower Ali Lauitiiti, who is hoping to make his 200th appearance for the club before joining Wakefield, but he is expected to stick with the team that beat Warrington in last Friday's semi-final.

St Helens: Wellens (co-capt); Makinson, Shenton, Meli, Foster; Gaskell, Lomax; Graham (co-capt), Roby, Puletua, Soliola, Wilkin, Clough.

Leeds: Webb; Jones-Bishop, Hardaker or Watkins, Ablett, Hall; Sinfield (capt), McGuire; Leuluai, Buderus, Peacock, Jones-Buchanan, Delaney, Clarkson.

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