Three years ago today, on February 18 2023, St Helens defied all expectations by beating Penrith Panthers in Australia to clinch the World Club Challenge.
The Red Vee had just completed a four-peat of Grand Final trophies, and were looking to continue their success under new head coach Paul Wellens.
Kristian Woolf, who had led Saints to three of those four Super League titles, left to join NRL side The Dolphins, leaving the club legend to take the reigns and guide the club into further glory.
History has shown that the Wellens era didn’t quite go as planned, as the side failed to reach a major final under his tutelage, let alone go on and bring home the silverware.
The World Club Challenge was Wellens’ first competitive game in charge, though Woolf was allowed to join the coaching box for the game, which they eventually won.
It took a drop-goal in extra time, but Saints managed to break a five-year duct, and became the sixth team to win the competition on three or more occasions.
Serious About Rugby League have gone back to that game three years ago, to see how Saints lined up, and where they have landed some 36 months later.
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Where are they now? St Helens 2023 World Club Challenge-winning squad
Full-back: Jack Welsby
One of seven players still at the club, Welsby opened the scoring with less than 10 minutes on the clock, as he was on the end of a Curtis Sironen line-break to get the Saints on the board.
Welsby has just been dealt a hammer blow, and is expected to be out for four months with a dislocated shoulder he picked up in the round one defeat to Warrington Wolves.
Wingers: Tommy Makinson and Will Hopoate
Saints legend Makinson scored 22 tries in the 2022 season, and was a key part in that year’s Grand Final triumph, which then allowed them to face the Panthers.
He is now entering his second season at Catalans Dragons, and in the final game of 2025, crossed for his 200th Super League try – a feat that only three other players have achieved.
Hopoate’s final season at the Red Vee came in 2023, and he finished his Saints career with 31 matches and five tries. He is now a business owner, and works with the Sydney Roosters pathways program as a wellbeing officer.
Centres: Mark Percival and Konrad Hurrell
Percvial is another player still at the club, but that could soon be about to change. His contract is up at the end of 2026, and after reports from Jon Wilkin that a previously-signed contract has “gone missing”, his future is in doubt.
Hurrell was the second try scorer on the night, as he barged his way over on the right edge. The Tongan powerhouse would make a total of 64 appearances for Saints, and now plays in France for Lezignan.
Halves: Jonny Lomax and Lewis Dodd
Veteran Lomax is now utilised from the bench, but back in 2023, he was still the starting number six, and that year he racked up 11 tries and 20 assists.
The World Club Challenge was Dodd’s first competitive game since April of 2022, and he certainly made a memorable return. He slotted over the winning drop goal to win the match in extra-time.
After an underwhelming stint in the NRL with South Sydney Rabbitohs, he is now settling into life at Catalans Dragons, alongside Makinson.
Props:Â Alex Walmsley and Matty Lees
The powerhouse pair have been so influential for Saints over the last 5-10 years, and they still continue to be effective now.
Walmsley’s form in 2025 earned him an England return, whilst Lees also made the squad for the Ashes. However, Saints will be without the latter for an extended period, after Lees picked up a knee injury in the Challenge Cup win against Workington Town.
Hooker: James Roby
Another club icon, Roby would play his last season for Saints in 2023, hanging up the boots on a 20-season stint at his boyhood club.
He culminated his career with 551 Saints appearances and 117 tries, and was recently elected as one of five men to be on the panel that awards the Man of Steel trophy at the end of the season.
Back row: Curtis Sironen and Sione Mata’utia.
Sironen was influential in the victory over Penrith, as it was his break that set Welsby free to score the opener. He is another player that is still at the club, but faces plenty of competition, with the likes of Matt Whitley, Jacob Host and Shane Wright all vying for a starting spot.
Mata’utia, who is Australia’s youngest ever player, played for Saints between 2021 and 2024, and had a Super League career full of success. In 2025, he played alongside his brother, Peter, for Lakes United Seagulls in the Newcastle Rugby League competition.
Loose Forward: Morgan Knowles
The 29-year-old has only just departed Saints, after making his debut back in 2015. He now featured for The Dolphins in the NRL, reuniting with former boss Woolf, and has already made an impact for his new club – albeit in the pre-season.
Bench: Joey Lussick, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Agnatius Paasi, Jake Wingfield and James Bell.
Both Paasi and Wingfield are still at the club, whilst Bell departed in the off-season to join Hull FC.
After failing to find a new club for 2026, Lussick decided to hang up the boots, whilst McCarthy-Scarsbrook is also retired, and became a firefighter.
