St Helens boss backs Tristan Sailor for success with possible position switch discussed

St Helens head coach Paul Wellens has addressed where Tristan Sailor could play going forward with the club’s spine still a major talking point.

A run of three straight losses has seen pressure piled on St Helens with head coach Paul Wellens bearing the brunt of that, something that has seen reports Down Under that the club have named Ben Gardiner as their “number one target”.

Wellens spoke on the pressure and confirmed that whilst he was aware of those reports, he had heard nothing from the club to suggest there was anything to them as he expressed his belief he is the man to lead St Helens forward.

Next up on that mission is Catalans Dragons, another side who have struggled with consistency in 2025 and one of the teams who Saints have beaten with Jonny Lomax’s two drop goals securing a famous 14-13 win earlier this year.

Lomax has generally been out of team in recent weeks through injury and then selection but questions are still being asked of St Helens’ spine, particularly around NRL recruit Tristan Sailor and where his best role is.

Tristan Sailor on the wing “an option” for St Helens going forward

Signed to play six, Sailor has been shifted to full-back in recent weeks to try and better accommodate him but that has in turn seen Jack Welsby move into the halves, despite the Englishman being among the best full-backs in Super League.

Fitting Welsby, Sailor, Lomax and young gun George Whitby into the one, six and seven positions is impossible and Wellens may have to decide which player he drops, but another option presented itself at Magic Weekend.

Tristan Sailor moved to the wing in the loss to Leeds Rhinos and Wellens has confirmed that is “certainly an option” for the clash against Catalans and potentially going forward.

After confirming it as an “option”, he added: “I accept quite naturally you don’t want to be changing structurally throughout the course of an 80 minutes. However, as a coach I also have a responsibility to make sure I feel the team’s performing in the right way.

“When I made those changes, I don’t take those decisions lightly. It was a really harsh call on Jon Bennison to remove him from the field because the kid was doing nothing wrong. However, I felt like we needed to change the spine at that moment in time.”

It would be a major change with Sailor having never previously started a game on the wing and only featured in the centres on three occasions, but with Kyle Feldt still out it’s a consideration at the moment.

Speaking on the Australian’s showing against Leeds, Wellens said: “I thought when he went out there he acquitted himself really well. He’s a dangerous player, there’s no getting away from that. You can see that in him.

“We’ve asked a lot of Tristan since he’s come to the club and it’s not easy. First and foremost settling into a new lifestyle on the opposite side of the world, but also building combinations with teammates.

“I think he’s very quickly understanding the standards and high expectations that come with representing a club like St Helens,” he added, before throwing support behind the 26-year-old.

Wellens said: “I’m not unhappy with Tristan, I’m not disappointed with Tristan at all. I’m here to support him as his coach because I believe he’s going to be a very important player for us.”

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Paul Wellens has named his 21-man St.Helens squad that will take on @DragonsOfficiel on Thursday night in @SuperLeague action

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— St.Helens R.F.C. (@Saints1890) May 13, 2025