Paul Wellens: St Helens head coach departs after two years in role
Wellens served as assistant coach to Holbrook and Woolf during a period of unprecedented success for the club, winning four consecutive Super League Grand Finals between 2019 and 2022 and the Challenge Cup in 2021.
He took over from Woolf after the 2022 season and signed a contract extension with the club in 2024 to stay through the 2025 season.
However, during his time as head coach the Saints were dethroned by rivals Wigan Warriors, who began their own period of dominance during his tenure.
In 2023, Saints failed to defend their Super League title for a fifth consecutive season, eventually finishing third and missing out on the League Leaders’ Shield by points after an outstanding regular season campaign.
Their post-season hopes came to an end as they lost 12-6 to the Catalans Dragons in the semi-finals.
In comparison, 2024 was a difficult season for the club as the Saints struggled with numerous injuries and rarely looked in contention to win silverware.
They finished sixth to secure last place in the play-offs and pushed Sam Burgess’s Warrington all the way in the knockout game before succumbing to a dramatic 23-22 reversal.
Despite an impressive start to this season, in which they scored a total of 166 points in the first three matches and conceded just six goals, their form deteriorated midway through the season and they eventually finished fifth.
They had the courage to come back and stun Leeds at Headingley in their first play-off match, but failed to pull off a surprise win over Hull KR in the semi-final.
