Paul Rowley’s Salford Red Devils overcame the Red Vee 20–18 in an exciting encounter at the Salford Stadium, sending St Helens into the international break down. Despite the exhilarating game, many Saints supporters demanded Paul Wellens’ dismissal.
Because of the demands of leading a team that has won four straight Grand Finals, Paul Wellens has faced pressure throughout the most of his time in the position. However, pressure has recently decreased after a string of strong victories.
That doesn’t change the fact that the head coach of St Helens has a contract that expires at the end of the season, which will undoubtedly put more pressure on him given his lack of security. This has meant that some fans have questioned whether he’s the appropriate man for the job following every below-average performance, and they were particularly vociferous after yesterday’s loss.
Even though James Bell gave the Saints the lead, they were pinned by a double from Deon Cross and trailed 10–6 at the half. If Marc Sneyd’s intentional missed kick had not resulted in Chris Atkin’s try being disqualified, the score might have been 16–6.
Curtis Sironen gave St Helens a lead again, but the teams exchanged points after that. Mark Percivals cancelled out Kallum Watkins’ try, and Chris Hankinson scored a late winner. Because of the loss, St Helens will not be able to reclaim the top spot in the standings, and remarkably for some supporters, a subpar showing in second place has led them to call for a change at the top.
Fans of St Helens responded to the full-time post on the official St Helens Twitter (previously X) page with lots of contempt, voicing much of their vitriol towards the team and Wellens.
Some called the performance “gutless,” while another called it “utter garbage.” It was “hard to find any positives,” according to someone else.
One fan called the performance “absolutely pathetic” and said it was “sloppy from start to finish,” even though they had taken the lead early on. appeared to be totally lost for words.
Before the loss to Salford, St Helens had won four straight games, and one fan said that those wins were only a way to hide weaknesses.
“S***e…” they exclaimed. returning to reality following a few deceptive victories over underperforming teams Under Wellens, this team is not winning anything.
Another person made a hint about Paul Wellens’ removal, saying, “There are a couple decent out of work NRL coaches waiting.” One is that we should think about moving.
Fans also criticised Salford for lacking tactical acumen, something that Rowley’s Salford and Marc Sneyd’s leadership excel at.
One person wrote: “Wellens’ lack of discipline is the one recurring thread. Given the size of his coaching staff, some poor tactical work was done today.
Similar thoughts were held by others.
Now, Paul Wellens will have two weeks with his St Helens team before they resume play against Castleford Tigers and two hard tests against Warrington Wolves and Wigan Warriors, which will be a real litmus test for this group.
