Former St Helens boss Kristian Woolf ‘to step down’ from long-term role

Former St Helens head coach Kristian Woolf will reportedly step down from his role as head coach of Tonga.

Kristian Woolf was head coach of St Helens from 2020 to 2022, winning the Grand Final in all of his three seasons with the club.

He’s now assistant coach to Wayne Bennett with the Dolphins, but with Bennett returning to South Sydney Rabbitohs for 2025, Woolf will be head coach in Queensland next season.

He joined Tonga in 2014 and turned the nation into a heavyweight, with a semi-final and quarter-final appearance in the World Cup, as well as a famous victory over Australia in 2019.

However, he saw his side lose in every game against England last year, and at the time, there were suggestions that he would soon step down.

He said last year: “In 12 months’ time I’ll be coaching in the NRL and I’ve got to figure out and see where it fits and what fits. There’s a lot of things that depends on as well. What the calendar actually looks like and what games are scheduled is a big part of that.

Former St Helens boss Kristian Woolf to step down from long-term role

The Australian Daily Telegraph is reporting that he will step down this year, saying: “He is expected to step down after the Pacific Championships to put his entire focus into his first full-time NRL head coaching role at the Dolphins.”

It comes ahead of Tonga facing Australia at one of the Dolphins’ home venues, Suncorp Stadium, this autumn.

This is believed to be so Woolf can fully focus on his new head coaching role, with the Dolphins desperate to improve on this season, after falling out of the play-off spots.

The Dolphins were near the top of the ladder for much of the season, but eventually narrowly missed out due to a defeat to Newcastle Knights in the final round.

They became NRL’s first team to join the league since 2007 last year, as Queensland Cup side Redcliffe Dolphins were granted a licence to join the league.