St Helens head coach Paul Rowley watched his side end their losing run in Super League with a win over Huddersfield Giants, however, he wasn’t particularly happy with his side’s performance.
Saints ran out as 38-6 winners but the scoreline didn’t necessarily reflect the game with the Red Vee tacking a lot of those points on late.
When speaking post-match on Sky Sports, Rowley confirmed it to be the ‘most frustrating game of the year’ from a collective point of view, admitting that it was ‘ugly’.
He explained: “There were things that were good, individuals that were good, so some individual performances out there, but I think collectively it was probably the most frustrating game of the year for me.
“I didn’t enjoy it at all. I’ve got to try and put a smile on, but always be honest because there were some really ugly parts from us in that game that really gifted Huddersfield a lot of opportunities, and probably put us to the sword a little bit.”
As for what the positives were, he added: “The positives are that we dug in and found a way to keep them away from our line, after giving away so much territory and possession but it was just ugly.”
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St Helens still not playing the Paul Rowley way
One of the biggest frustrations for Rowley was that his side are currently, or at least today were, unable to play in the style that he became renowned for at Salford, something he attributed to a lack of bodies but also a lack of execution and smarts.
He said: “I want to play this game a certain way, and at the minute we’re not playing that way, and we just need to express ourselves in a different manner and play a little bit smarter. The players are better than what they showed today, and they know that and I know that, so we’ll keep working hard.”
As for how close Saints are to playing in a Paul Rowley style, he admitted: “(We’re) a mile off, to be honest, but you’ve got to understand sometimes when you build a team from scratch, in terms of playing personnel, then that’s quite a bit easier because you can bring the players in that fit that way, so to speak.
“My mentality is to kind of find a hybrid, so a little bit more expressive, but not try and change the world with a set of players that are already good and perform well and good in their own right. But over time, I’ll fix that up and it’ll look a little more like my team. That’ll be through practise, that’ll be through review, and that’ll be, if needed, then it’ll be through change.”
That’s a strong statement in itself with the suggestion being that the team could change plenty in the off-season to better suit the style of play that suits Rowley.
Season-ending injury confirmed but Rowley remains bullish
As for the current squad, Rowley conceded that injuries are again mounting, even joking that he almost had to call up commentator Terry O’Connor to get his boots out.
It had been confirmed pre-match that Matt Whitley and George Whitby pulled out in the captain’s run whilst Deon Cross was ruled out for the season in mid-week.
On the injuries, Rowley said: “(Matt) Whitley yesterday, he pulled out a team run, he’s got a wrist injury there. That could be season-ending to be fair. Deon (Cross) is season-ending, he’s had a bicep repair. George Whitby pulled out yesterday, so we’re waiting for further inspection on that.”
As for the in-game blows, he added: “I’ve not heard back from Percy (Mark Percival) yet, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that that looked like a bit of an hamstring problem going on there, so they’re never short.
“The more chaotic it gets, you start getting a little bit more bullish. I’ve said this in the week, so I’m all right with that. I’ve been through stuff like this before and we’ll just keep chipping away.
“The trick is, even if it’s struggling, in turmoil and adversity, just keep trying to chip the wins away. We’re still sat in a pretty position without playing pretty, so it’s not too bad. There’s a lot positives.”
.@Saints1890 see out a victory in the sunshine 👏#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/CWGATRILyb
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) June 21, 2026
