PAUL WELLENS has revealed that he is “not actively looking to replace” Morgan Knowles due to the latter’s ‘irreplaceability’, but the St Helens head coach is looking to strengthen his forward pack for 2026.
Knowles will link up with former Saints boss Kristian Woolf at The Dolphins from 2026 following over a decade plying his trade for the Red Vee.
Having joined Saints at the age of 14, travelling down from Cumbria, Knowles progressed through the club’s under-16s scholarship and under-18s programme to make his first-team debut in 2015.
Since then, the loose-forward has gone on to make over 220 appearances for Saints, with Wellens knowing that such a stalwart for the club will leave a massive gap in the side.
“We’re not actively looking to replace Morgan Knowles as such because some players are irreplaceable in that sense,” Wellens said.
“But we are certainly looking to add to our squad in the middle of the field in Morgan’s absence next year.
“To be truthful, those discussions and conversations will be happening but my main focus is the team and how it performs – I don’t want to get caught up on 2026.”
In terms of the turnover at the Totally Wicked Stadium, Wellens has explained that there will be a ‘fresh’ look to the St Helens squad in 2026.
“I think there will be an evolution and the squad will get freshened up. We are looking to promote from within and promote those from the academy.
“We will obviously try and retain our better players but also externally and where we can improve the team.”