James Graham reveals St Helens coaching role offer

St Helens legend James Graham has revealed that he was given the opportunity to remain at the club after his retirement in a coaching role alongside Kristian Woolf: and that he was tempted to take it.

Graham’s illustrious playing career concluded at the end of the 2020 Super League season with the Saints. His final game was one of the most dramatic in history, with the Saints winning the Grand Final in an empty stadium against Wigan Warriors courtesy of Jack Welsby’s late try.

He has since returned to Australia and established a reputation as one of the game’s top pundits, as well as hosting his own podcast, The Bye Round. And speaking on that podcast with former Saints coach Woolf, he has revealed how the former head coach of the Super League club wanted him to stay in 2021.

Graham had harboured ambitions to become a coach before moving into punditry and the prop admitted Woolf’s offer to remain in England as St Helens’ assistant coach did ‘turn his head’.

He said: “The Bye Round very nearly didn’t happen as well, and the person and the jobs I’m in now didn’t happen for a number of reasons. I was motivated to be a coach and always thought I wanted to be a coach, and you did turn my head.”

However, Graham revealed that the idea of remaining in England was quickly put to bed after his family indicated a desire to return to Australia.

He continued: “But unfortunately my family weren’t so enthusiastic. You grabbed me after training at Ruskin and said you’d heard I wanted to be a coach. I said yeah, and you said ‘what do you think about staying on next year as the assistant?’

“I went home and talked to the family. I did that and it was shut down. I’d made a promise we were going to go for six months and come back, and unfortunately that didn’t happen. But it was an amazing period.”

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