Incoming St Helens boss Kevin Walters has revealed what went down in his initial scouting trip at the club, whilst some major signings for 2027 have been teased.
Walters spent the majority of last week in the UK, getting a feel for what is to come after signing a three-year contract with the Red Vee starting next year.
The current Australia boss will begin his duties upon the conclusion of this year’s Rugby League World Cup, but won’t arrive until pre-season is well underway, so the focus of the trip was to make sure everything ran smoothly until he arrives.
The 58-year-old had nothing but praise to say about his visit, as he gave his verdict on the five-day trip on his podcast, The Inside Ball.
Joined by co-host Ben Dobbin, Walters said: “[It was] fantastic, mate… [We were] on the ground just having a look, meeting the staff there, and had a look at the captain’s run. It was a really good exercise, got so much out of it.”
He continued: “I didn’t meet many of the players, to be honest. I just stayed in the background there.
“I met a few key players, but the rest of them I just left alone. I didn’t want to feel like I was intruding too much on the caretaker coach who’s in there. He’s a great fella, Eamon O’Carroll.
“He’s doing a great job there as well, but they’re going to miss finals, unfortunately, this year, St. Helens, which is the first time in [Super League] history that they’ve never played finals. There’s a lot of work to be done.”
Walters had some encouraging and positive conversations with the Red Vee’s higher-ups, including Eamon McManus and Abi Ekoku. He also spoke about the fans, who are all in favour of his arrival.
He said: “The fans were great. In the UK, football is the number one sport obviously, and rugby union probably sits a bit higher than league as far as the popularity of it all, but in St. Helens, it’s a rugby league town, mate.
“It’s about 15 minutes from Liverpool, and then Manchester is the biggest city there, and it’s about 20-25 minutes- half an hour, depending on the traffic.
“…It’s a rugby league town, and they have been for a long, long 153 years.”
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St Helens set to make big signings with announcements pending
As part of the trip debrief, co-host Dobbin let slip that some deals for 2027 have already been completed, and judging by his excitement, it suggests some big names could be making their way to the BrewDog Stadium.
“We can’t say anything, but gee-whiz, you’ve already hit the ground running with a couple of your signings!” Dobbin said.
Walters replied: “I’m not sure what you’re talking about, Ben. We’re just trying to make the right decisions, well, we are.”
Dobbin added: “The two players I know that you’ve got, and they will come out this week-”
Walters swiftly interrupted, as he looked to keep Saints’ new additions under wraps until an official announcement was made.
“You don’t know any players that we’ve got, do you, Ben?” Walters said. Changing the subject, the new Saints boss explained: “St Helens are a lot like the Broncos here as far as their branding goes.
“They’re a big club, they’re well supported, they’ve been very successful. Players want to come and play there.
“There’s been lots of calls and conversations about, not only the playing roster but also coaches and the like.
“I’m very confident that we can assemble a really strong squad for next year, as well as the coaching staff.”
“The head of performance is actually the head of performance for the English side in the World Cup, Matty Daniels. He’s been there for 15 years, so I was really impressed with him, and all of the staff actually.
“I’m really looking forward to getting my feet under the desk after the World Cup.”
