Ex-St Helens boss Paul Wellens lands new coaching role for 2026

Former St Helens head coach Paul Wellens has landed a new coaching role down under with North Queensland Cowboys.

After spending three seasons at the St Helens helm, Wellens parted ways with the club last month following their Super League play-off semi-final defeat to Hull KR at Craven Park.

The Saints moved on quickly, appointing former Salford Red Devils man Paul Rowley as Wellens’ replacement, a week or so after his departure. And, Wellens has now landed a new job with the 45-year-old taking up an assistant coach role with North Queensland Cowboys.

Wellens will work under Todd Payten in Townsville, with the Cowboys looking to improve on 2025’s disappointing 12th place finish next year.

It’s a role that the former Great Britain international knows all about, having worked under Kristian Woolf before taking the head coach job at Saints, and he has previously spent time as an assistant on the international scene. The one difference, though, is that Wellens will be working on the other side of the world for the first time.

He’ll be joined on the Cowboys coaching staff by former Hull KR and Wigan Warriors man Blake Green, who had been working with Newcastle Knights in the NRL.

Paul Wellens lands new job after St Helens departure

“Paul was one of the great players of the modern era in the Super League, who has developed into a very accomplished coach,” Cowboys’ general manager of football Michael Luck said.

“He is a winner and he is a competitor. He has extensive experience as both an assistant and head coach and we are thrilled to secure his services.”

He won’t be the only Englishman working down under as an assistant, with Richard Agar currently on the staff at New Zealand Warriors and Brian McDermott joining Josh Hannay’s new look coaching team at Gold Coast Titans.

After spending the entirety of his playing days with the Saints, Wellens won 60 of his 95 games in charge of the Saints, with a World Club Challenge win over Penrith Panthers being his biggest success.

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