ST HELENS have confirmed the appointment of Eamon O’Carroll as assistant coach for 2025 and beyond.
O’Carroll now steps up from the Championship with Bradford Bulls back into the Super League with St Helens, serving as Paul Wellens’ assistant coach alongside Lee Briers, as part of a revamped coaching team.
An Irish international, O’Carroll played club rugby for Wigan, Hull FC, and Widnes Vikings and made 149 Super League appearances. His coaching journey began as part of the Vikings’ staff following his retirement as a player in 2017 due to injury.
The first of two spells as an assistant coach at Catalans Dragons followed in the 2019 and 2020 seasons, before taking on the head coach position with Newcastle Thunder in late 2020 ahead of the 2021 season.
During his time with Newcastle, O’Carroll helped Thunder stay up in the Championship following the club’s promotion to the competition through an application process. During the 2022 season, he would return to Perpignan to serve as Reserves head coach for the Dragons and assist Steve McNamara once more.
The 37-year-old has been serving as the Bulls’ boss in the 2024 season, guiding them to a third-place finish in the regular season, and taking them through to the Betfred Championship Semi-Finals following a knock-out play-off win over Featherstone Rovers.
Speaking about joining the Saints’ Coaching Team, Eamon O’Carroll told saintsrlfc.com: “I’m really excited and honoured to be joining a club of the stature of St.Helens, it’s a huge honour not just for myself but for my family as well. I feel refreshed after a couple of weeks off and I’m ready to go, settle and be closer to home and my family at a really good club. This is huge for me, and I feel I can really get stuck in and work well at St.Helens.”
Reflecting on his season as the Head Coach at Bradford, O’Carroll thanked the West Yorkshire side.
“I loved my time at Bradford, it was fantastic, and I learned a hell of a lot with a great support network around me, it has only been positive for me there.”
The opportunity to work with the likes of Paul Wellens and Lee Briers has O’Carroll buzzing with anticipation.
“The first time I spoke to Paul [Wellens], his enthusiasm about the Club – he cares so deeply about it and has been here for so long as a player and coach. I felt that intensity when he spoke, making it clear straight away what he expects from everyone in the group, staff included, and I got excited about that.
“I think Lee [Briers] and I work very similar, we are about high energy and want to get a buzz around the boys, help them develop and drive standards, so I am sure we’ll work well together. We all had a meeting the other day and spoke about a few things, I got such good vibes immediately, so we’ll work really well together.”
Sharing the Saints’ ambitions of silverware success, Eamon O’Carroll strongly desires winning trophies but wants to earn the trust of the players he wants to develop and improve as his main target first.
“My biggest goal is to connect with everyone in the group, and let them see me for who I am. The bit that I love about coaching is being able to help further develop players and them seeing that you care. I will work extremely hard to do that.
“Ultimately, I want to win trophies, there is a lot of hard work, dedication, and sacrifice that you have to go through to get to that point. My last game working in Super League was a Grand Final that we lost, so I have still got that bug inside me to go win silverware. I feel like I’m coming to a club where everybody is aligned, we all want to do that and know what it takes to do it. It’s going to be an exciting year.”
Head Coach Paul Wellens is looking forward to working with Eamon and added: “I know people who have worked with Eamon in the past and talked glowingly about him, particularly with his experiences in Catalans and this year at Bradford, and having met with him a number of times I can see clearly why people hold him in high regard.
“Eamon has a solid knowledge based around the game, a hunger, a passion, and enthusiasm for coaching. It was an easy decision to bring him in and strengthen us, he wants to keep developing and I think he will really complement our coaching team as well.”
With both of his assistants confirmed, Wellens is excited to work with his coaches and players in the pre-season, as the Saints gear up for the 2025 Betfred Super League competition.
“Lee has a real thirst for the attacking side of the game and will certainly want to put his stamp on the team in that respect. Eamon will have more of a defensive approach, which gives us a good balance as a coaching team and I’m really looking forward to working with Lee and Eamon – two very good, experienced coaches who will add a lot to what we do.”
Click here to get the digital edition of League Express
Click here to subscribe to the print edition of League Express
League Express is also widely available from local newsagents across the north of England.
