St Helens head coach Paul Rowley has spoken on George Whitby and his importance to the club, whilst also hailing starting half Tristan Sailor.
After signing Jackson Hastings, St Helens are spoilt for choice at half-back with the pre-season signs indicating that Tristan Sailor will remain in the halves and start alongside the former Man of Steel Hastings.
That leaves former club captain Jonny Lomax and rising star George Whitby as the depth options with Whitby loaned out at times last year when Saints were even thinner in the position.
Rowley has now knocked back any suggestion of a loan just yet, stating that it is ‘too early’ to consider, with both Whitby and Lomax set to remain involved with the squad for the forseeable.
Asked about his halves and if loans were an option, Rowley said: “Jonny (Lomax) and George (Whitby) are there as well and that’s what having a squad is all about, so they’re competing hard in training with the rest of the boys and they’re playing a huge part.
“Again we’ve not kicked a ball yet in terms of a Super League fixture so that’s too early to start having them (loan) discussions.
“We’re enjoying having them here and the input that they’re having is valuable to us.”
St Helens boss backs Tristan Sailor
Rowley also went out to bat for starter Tristan Sailor, arguing that the 2025 NRL recruit had a strong debut year in spite of many external criticism.
The Saints boss said: “I think when I look back on last year, if you look back he’s scored a lot of tries for St Helens last year so you could argue that he had a good year last year as well.”
Sailor ended the year with 15 tries and 25 assists, an extraordinary return, however, he was still subject to plenty of skepticism, particularly in and around the big games where St Helens themselves struggled.
For Rowley, it’s simple: “Whether he’s scoring tries or setting up tries either way is good to me. As I said before, as long as he’s happy and playing well then we’re happy.”
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Paul Rowley talks silverware expectations
Rowley’s off-season coaching move saw him go from the struggling Salford to a St Helens team eager for silverware, having not lifted any since the World Club Challenge in early 2023.
When asked if being at a club of St Helens’ status adds more pressure to the goal of lifting trophies, Rowley explained that he has always expected it of himself anyway, and more importantly always believes he can win it.
He said: “I always expect (success and silverware) and you might think we crave it but I’ve always had the attitude that I believe I can get it wherever I’m at.
“I think one thing I crave is consistency, I want it in myself and I want it in my players and my staff and everybody in the environment.”
As for expectations on account of being at a larger club, he said: “Nothing’s changed in that respect really, there’s just a few thousand more people watching and cheering us on and so if that adds pressure, then it adds pressure but nothing’s changed in that respect for me.”
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