PAUL WELLENS has admitted he made mistakes during a difficult second season as St Helens head coach.
In the club legend’s first campaign in the top job, he won the World Club Challenge and led the team to third place in Super League and a play-off semi-final.
This year, Saints fell from top of the table in June to finish sixth amid an injury crisis which deprived them of many top stars.
Their play-off elimination at Warrington in golden-point was a respectable way to finish the season but a tenth defeat from 14 games in the second half of the season.
During that run Wellens came under criticism from supporters, but the club backed him with a contract extension and he will continue to lead the side next season with help from new assistant coach Lee Briers.
Wellens said that the biggest lesson he had learned from the campaign was to “block all of the outside noise”.
He added: “It doesn’t help you. There’s plenty of it. That’s not me having a go at anybody – that’s people who are entitled to opinions. People care about this team and when your team doesn’t win they’re disappointed. That’s the nature of the beast.
“But my biggest learning is to stay on task, stay focused, stay identity-driven.
“At times during the year, because we were missing so many players, I perhaps overcomplicated things, tried too many things, tried people in different positions, searching for answers, because it comes from a place of hurt.
“I got a few things wrong while doing that. I’ve learned a lot of lessons from this year that I feel I and the team will improve off the back of.”
Meanwhile, Saints have released overseas centre Waqa Blake following the expiry of his one-year contract.
Academy products McKenzie Buckley and Ben Lane are also leaving the club, as is Wellens’ assistant Laurent Frayssinous ahead of Briers’ arrival.
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