FORMER St Helens coach Paul Wellens spent three years in charge of his hometown club before his contract was not renewed last year and he took up a position as assistant coach with North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL before the start of the current season.
Wellens now works with the club’s head coach Todd Payten, alongside the other assistant coaches Blake Green, the former Wigan player, and Brett O’Farrell.
Last week Wellens was with the Cowboys in Las Vegas for their game against Newcastle Knights and he spoke to Sky Sports about his experiences down under so far.
“It’s a bit different from what I’ve been used to but it was a wonderful opportunity that came up for me in North Queensland and I’ve really settled into the place well,” he said.
“The staff, the players, everybody at the club has been so welcoming and I’m relishing the opportunity.
“It wasn’t a move that I saw coming, to be quite truthful. Obviously my time came to a close at St Helens and thankfully the phone rang, I had a couple of conversations with Todd and then the CEO Michael Luck discussing the possibility of me moving out to Australia.
“Obviously when you’re doing that with a young family you have a lot of things to consider, but after careful consideration we thought that in five years’ time if we didn’t take this opportunity it would be something that we’d regret, so I’m thankful I have and I’m looking forward to what the future holds.
“When my circumstances changed at St Helens, I was thinking about what’s next and this opportunity came along. I didn’t want to be out of the game or out of coaching for too long. I’m reinvigorated and refreshed after a short break and the new opportunity has given me a new lease of life.”
The Cowboys were defeated 28-18 by the Knights at Allegiant Stadium at the weekend, with many pundits suggesting that the result places Peyton under immediate pressure, given that the Knights finished last on the ladder in 2025.