The dust has settled on the fact that St Helens have missed out on play-off rugby for the first time after their seventh-placed finish in Super League. The analytical dissection of how this happened has been ongoing by fans and pundits for the best part of two years. Some supporters would say longer.
The next 12 months will give an indication of how long those with power inside the four walls of the club have realised that their trajectory has been downwards. The famous question posed by meteorologist Edward Lorenz back in the 1970s was 'can the flap of a butterfly's wing in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas?' Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Can the smallest of changes lead to significant outcomes in the most complex of systems? If this low ebb for Saints is their tornado, what exactly was the flap of the wing?
What exactly caused the chaos? For that, we need to rewind to 2019, when they picked up their first Super League title in five years. Midway through 2018, St Helens were sitting mid-table and made the decision to part ways with head coach Keiron Cunningham and bring in Justin Holbrook.
After a Luke Gale drop goal saw Saints heartbreakingly fall in the semi-finals in 2018, 2019 marked the year when they were simply the best team around. The Saints obliterated the competition in 2019, losing just three matches and cantering to the top of the league. Their 23-6 win over Salford Red Devils in the Grand Final was the moment that cemented that St Helens were here once again.
It was a star-studded team with the likes of Jonny Lomax, Tommy Makinson, Alex Walmsley and Lachlan Coote all in their mid-to-late 20s and in their prime. A mix of homegrown talent and hand-picked Australian superstars was running the show. They had to then overcome a change of head coach but, under Kristian Woolf, success would continue...
Woolf has spoken openly about the fact that the season shutting down due to Covid potentially saved his job. Woolf's team had just lost to Huddersfield Giants and Castleford Tigers when the season went on hiatus. By the time it returned, he had spoken with his playing group about what more they wanted from him and how they wanted things to run.
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