ST HELENS are reeling from their worst season in the Super League era, in which they finished sixth and lost in the first week of the play-offs.
It’s a long way from where the club want to be and fans’ faith in head coach Paul Wellens was severely tested, even if injuries played a part in their dramatic slide.
Wellens has been backed by the people who matter, however, and so returns for a third campaign at the helm still seeking to win a first domestic trophy.
And he’s been helped in that quest by a new coaching team as Lee Briers and Eamon O’Carroll replace Matty Smith and Laurent Frayssinous.
In contrast, the playing squad remains much the same. Tommy Makinson, Waqa Blake and Lewis Dodd have been replaced by Kyle Feldt, Lewis Murphy and Tristan Sailor, while the surprise retirement of Sione Mata’utia at the age of 28 is a blow.
It’s still a team full of winners but it’s a habit they need to rediscover fast.
Watch out for… The impact of Lee Briers as assistant coach. He has been praised for his work with every team so far, helping Warrington and Wigan win Challenge Cups, Brisbane reach the NRL Grand Final and England win two Test series. His attacking methods particularly bore fruit for the Warriors and Broncos and a similar tonic would be most welcome for Saints, and could help get the best out of players like Jack Welsby.
Fan’s eye view… Saints in 2024 were an unmitigated disaster. Poor recruitment, injuries and an ageing side combined to result in a trophy-less year. While Tommy Makinson has been replaced with Kyle Feldt, a lot of our hopes will rest on the success of new signings Lewis Murphy and Tristan Sailor bringing much needed pace to the backline. Youngsters such as Noah Stephens, Harry Robertson and George Whitby should also see plenty of game time as Saints look to embed their next-gen stars. We will need to show a drastic improvement in both performance and results to be in the mix for silverware. (By Dave Lyon, editor Redvee.net and presenter of Redvee TV.)
2025 squad: 1 Jack Welsby, 2 Kyle Feldt, 3 Konrad Hurrell, 4 Mark Percival, 5 Jon Bennison, 6 Tristan Sailor, 7 Jonny Lomax, 8 Alex Walmsley, 9 Daryl Clark, 10 Matty Lees, 11 Curtis Sironen, 12 Joe Batchelor, 13 Morgan Knowles, 14 Moses Mbye, 15 James Bell, 16 Matt Whitley, 17 Agnatius Paasi, 18 Jake Wingfield, 19 George Delaney, 20 Lewis Murphy, 21 Noah Stephens, 22 Ben Davies, 23 Jake Burns, 24 Jonny Vaughan, 25 Tee Ritson, 26 Harry Robertson, 27 George Whitby, 28 Will Roberts, 29 Dayon Sambou, 30 Owen Dagnall, 31 Leon Cowen, 32 Ciaran Nolan, 33 Alfie Sinclair, 34 Jake Davies, 35 Cole Marsh.
Rugby League World predicts: 3rd
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 505 (February 2025)
