St Helens icon Jon Wilkin has ripped into his former side for the handling of head coach Paul Rowley’s exit
Saints announced yesterday that Rowley would depart, despite signing a three-year contract in October.
The former Salford, Leigh and Toronto boss lasted just 19 matches at the Brewdog Stadium, and despite achieving 12 wins in that time, the club have opted to go a different direction.
Whilst Wilkin and fellow Sky Sports pundit Sam Tomkins agree with the decision to part company, the timing of the decision and announcement is what has left them baffled.
Saints take on Wigan Warriors tonight, in one of their biggest games of the season, so stability within the camp is a non-negotiable heading into it.
“The day before a huge game, their play-off hopes sitting in the balance, sitting in sixth position,” Tomkins said ahead of Hull FC’s clash with Hull KR.
“The day before they play Wigan, they sack the head coach. Yeah, [Rowley’s exit] a lot to process, and I’m as stumped as anybody.”
If the plan was always going to be let him go, then presenter Brian Carney posed the question: why not do it after the Toulouse game after they had been pumped 46-0?
That result, and the following week against Catalans, proved to be the turning point, Wilkin believes.
He said: “The most telling thing in Paul Rowley’s demise was the attendance for the Catalans game.
“A club that struggles commercially to make ends meet and is under all sorts of financial pressure. When fans vote with their feet, and with the discord and the vitriol they’ve shown towards the appointment of Paul Rowley from very early on in the year when he was at the top, the writing’s been on the wall.
“For me, the fans are just simply not happy with the substance of the team, the personnel of the team, the style of play and the change in tack from what’s been a champion club.”
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Pundits assess Paul Rowley’s shock St Helens exit
Saints have announced that Eamonn O’Carroll will take charge until the end of the season, however he is off to rugby union next year, so he won’t be the long-term successor.
The trio discussed whether a replacement could arrive in the near future, or if they would wait for the right candidate.
“They hope to change between now and round 27,” Carney said. “Again, they’re making this decision now, but they win tomorrow, it’s two wins against Wigan in the season, and they look good for a play-off place.”
Tomkins added: “It could be that they feel they’re going in the wrong direction this year, although they sit in the balance in sixth, and they’ll be looking for a big change in terms of performance on the field.
“You very often see it – a coach changes and the players respond, but it’s a big gamble. It’s just, again, bizarre timing.”
Wilkin’s final comments were perhaps the most damning, with him labelling the situation as the complete opposite of everything Saints are about.
He said: “If you think, only nine months into his tenure, if he can’t get a tune out of players, and he’s got a decimated team, he’s had loads of challenges, but if they need to change the coach to get a group of players towards getting into the play-offs, I’m sorry, I was at St. Helens for 16 years, it’s the most un-St Helens thing that I’ve ever said.
“‘We need to change our coach now to get into the play-offs and get our players motivated.’ It’s a bizarre time at this great club.”
The Joker
July 24, 2026 at 8:40 am
They should have hopes & dreams, but no expectations.
Perhaps, it is just the start of St Helens being crap, and a chance for some other team to shine. Every team has their day, and because St Helens have had more than their fair share of these, it is in all probability just their turn to not perform.
Enjoy it & ask all the North Wales Crusaders fans what it feels like!