ST Helens go into another Super League season being the team to beat.
Following four years of sensational Grand Final success, the Merseyside club are aiming for an unprecedented fifth title this time at the hands of new head coach Paul Wellens.
The departure of Justin Holbrook back in 2019 was followed up by the arrival of Tonga head coach Kristian Woolf, who set about continuing and elevating the good work done by his predecessor.
Three years later and Woolf had masterminded three Super League Grand Final titles as well as one Challenge Cup success, firmly etching his name into Saints and Super League folklore.
Now the time has come for Saints legend Wellens to take over the reins and continue the improvement – if indeed there is any improvement left – within this incredible squad.
Of course, those approaching the ends of their careers such as James Roby, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Alex Walmsley are another year older but they still don’t seem capable of slowing down.
Indeed, backed up by the youthful vibrancy in the shape of Jack Welsby, Jon Bennison and Lewis Dodd, the present and future are both looking incredibly rosy for the Saints.
That being said, one club found Saints’ weakness in big games in 2022 and that was the Wigan Warriors.
The Challenge Cup semi-final at Elland Road will live long in the memory of Wigan fans for the way in which Matt Peet’s men dismantled that aura of invincibility that has surrounded Saints for a number of years.
The Warriors took the game to their arch-rivals and came up trumps and, in doing so, went on to win the prestigious trophy at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Going forward into 2023, Wigan will be up there once more with the added impetus of Toby King and Jake Wardle improving an already star-studded side.
Add into the mix the fact that both Jai Field and Bevan French have signed new deals and the Warriors are more than laying a marker down for next season.
Nobody knows just yet how Saints will fare under Wellens, but Peet’s Wigan are definitely closing in, making it one of the most hotly anticipated Super League seasons for a good while.
