Jamie Jones-Buchanan believes St Helens need a big rebuild as Eamon O’Carroll’s side missed out on making the Super League play-offs for the first time in the club's history. St Helens' standing at seventh on the Super League ladder for the 2026 season was confirmed on Friday night after they were thumped 48-10 by Leigh Leopards, while Hull KR's 36-6 win against Huddersfield confirmed the top six. It was Saints' seventh defeat in their last 10 matches and second heavy loss in a row, having suffered a 28-point reverse to Leeds a week ago.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player O'Carroll is due to be replaced by former Brisbane Broncos and Australia head coach Kevin Walters ahead of the 2027 season, and the experienced coach will hope to galvanise the Saints back to their best next season. But eyebrows have been raised over the team's recruitment decisions this year, with the club also struggling with a big injury crisis. At one stage in July, 16 players were sidelined with injuries.
Paul Rowley stepped down as the Saints coach that same month. Saints had been six points behind league leaders Leeds Rhinos at the time, but had suffered a 46-0 demolition by Toulouse earlier in July - the first time the club have gone scoreless at home in a league match since 1980. The Saints, who won four titles in a row between 2019 and 2022, have experienced a sudden slump, and questions are being raised over the club's recruitment.
"Nothing is given in sport," Jamie Jones-Buchanan said on Sky Sports. "You certainly can't copy and paste from one generation to another because context is king. St Helens probably need a clear out.
"They have some exceptional young talents coming through, but they're arriving at the wrong time, not having the best of experiences. "Older players there too, who have maybe stayed a bit too long. Contextually, there are some players playing out of position.
"Tristan Sailor and Jack Welsby were really good against Leigh Leopards, you see moments of genius within it. But it's where they are playing and how it all fits together. The jigsaw has just not been great for St Helens." Over the off-season, St Helens added experienced Australian players Shane Wright, Jacob Host and David Klemmer, while Jackson Hastings and Joe Shorrocks also arrived.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
