How St Helens’ recruitment failed Paul Wellens with pressure dialled up to avoid same mistakes

Sitting down for what would be his final press conference in charge of St Helens, Paul Wellens painted the picture of a man who was at ease with his fate.

With his contract up, Wellens must have suspected what was coming as the season came to an end for the Merseyside outfit. As he always does, he spoke with class as he fielded questions about his future, directing attention towards those players who are moving on while also speaking about the talented crop of youngsters the club have coming through the ranks.

Ultimately, though, the very fact that he had been allowed to reach the end of the season without the offer of a new deal was probably telling.

That decision was eventually confirmed on Thursday afternoon, with the Saints opting to go in a different direction without Wellens on the back of what will be considered a disappointing campaign at the Totally Wicked Stadium.

St Helens finished fifth in the Super League table and while they did beat Leeds Rhinos dramatically in the play-off eliminators, their season was ended at Craven Park by Hull KR, who booked their place in this weekend’s Grand Final with a 20-12 win.

Expectation is always high at St Helens and another trophyless season will have been the decisive factor in the decision to move on from Wellens.

Externally though, it’s probably fair to say that St Helens hit par for most people in terms of expectations.

This isn’t the same team that took the Super League by storm under Justin Holbrook and it certainly isn’t the same one that dominated for three straight years under the guidance of Kristian Woolf.

Wellens’ final line-up wasn’t that far removed from the one that saw Woolf win a third Grand Final in 2022, but those names who remain are three years older and in many cases, some way past their peak now.

That’s an issue that hasn’t been recognised and dealt with quickly or efficiently enough and ultimately, it has led to a malaise setting in.
Recruitment is always the answer in this situation, with departing key men needing to be replaced and new players needed to keep things fresh and prevent things from stagnating. That’s where St Helens have failed Wellens.

Daryl Clark, Tee Ritson, Matt Whitley and Waqa Blake were the only players signed ahead of the 2024 season, with Clark and Whitley being the only two who can be considered successful.

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And, 2025’s recruitment saw three players join in the shape of Tristan Sailor, Kyle Feldt and Lewis Murphy. If we’re honest, not one of those signings has had the desired impact so far and there has to be real questions about the thought process behind the signing of Sailor.

He was brought in to play half-back and wore the number six on his back throughout the season, but it was immediately obvious that he wasn’t suited to the role. The Australian just hasn’t been able to find a consistent spot in the Saints side since and his struggle for form has led to Wellens chopping and changing his spine with regularity, with the season ending with Jack Welsby, Saints’ best and most talented player, being used out of position in the halves in order to accommodate the former Brisbane Broncos man.

That has contributed to an attack that has looked muddled and clunky for large periods, with St Helens going through the season without a natural half to take their offence by the scruff of the neck and dictate play.

Without an established kicking game and the flair that most of their rivals at the top end of the division have, Saints’ attack was a tough watch this season, it must be said, even with Lee Briers arriving as an assistant.

Defensively, though, St Helens have been outstanding this year and Wellens deserves plenty of credit for that, pulling a team together and making them incredibly tough to break down.

Wellens can be very proud of what he managed to achieve with his side defensively and he can even happier with the talented bunch of youngsters he has integrated into the first-team at the Totally Wicked Stadium.

The likes of Harry Robertson, George Whitby, Owen Dagnall, Noah Stephens and Leon Cowan are all set to have extremely bright futures in the game and their emergence will be part of Wellens’ legacy.

It’ll be a new head coach taking those youngsters into next season, though, and it’s fair to say St Helens have put themselves under pressure to make a swift appointment.

It’s a less than ideal situation, but with pre-season due to begin in November, St Helens have around six weeks to make an appointment, put plans in place and give him the best chance to succeed by landing some new recruits.

Just two signings have been made for 2026, Shane Wright and Jacob Host, but with a raft of key men moving on, they’ll need a lot more than that to ensure the post-Wellens era brings success back to Merseyside.