Paul Wellens opens up on ‘biggest lesson’ from disappointing year with improvement promised in 2025

St Helens head coach Paul Wellens has detailed his ‘biggest’ lesson from a ‘really challenging’ campaign, with improvement promised come 2025.

Saints came mightily close to pulling off a shock in the play-off eliminators on Saturday evening away against Warrington Wolves.

Levelling things up with a conversion from Mark Percival on the final hooter, Wellens’ side took the tie into golden point extra time, but were eventually beaten by George Williams’ drop goal, with the Wolves finishing 23-22 winners at the Halliwell Jones Stadium and, ultimately, booking a semi-final against Hull KR on Friday.

‘Both personally and collectively as a team, it’s been a really challenging 2024’

Wellens led his boyhood club to the play-off semi-finals last year as well as the Challenge Cup semi-finals on the back of a World Club Challenge triumph.

But his second season in charge has seen a sixth-place finish, which was their lowest-ever in Super League, an early exit from the Challenge Cup and now bowing out in the play-offs at the first hurdle.

Reflecting on the seson post-match on Saturday, the 44-year-old said: “We can’t get away from it. Both personally and collectively as a team, it’s been a really challenging 2024.

“I’ve found things out about myself that I never even knew, so I feel that we – and myself – will be better for that experience.

“However, that disappointment is still tough to take. We’ve been challenged this year more than we’ve ever been challenged and we’ve been criticised more than we’ve ever been criticised.

“That’s tough at times, but what we showed tonight is who we are as a club and what we’re about as a club and there’s a lot to be proud of there.

“I love the way the supporters didn’t leave at the end, they stayed and applauded Sione (Mata’utia), Tommy (Makinson), Lewis (Dodd) – those guys that are moving on who have been incredible servants to the club.

“You saw tonight the real connection between the supporters and the playing group.”

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‘I’ve learned a lot of lessons from this year which I feel I – and the team – will improve on the back of’

As referenced by Wellens, Saints’ critics have been plentiful this season, making their voices heard.

Heading into 2025, he insists they must learn to ignore those outside voices and focus on the task in front of them.

On his biggest lesson, the Saints chief added: “Block out the outside, it doesn’t help you, and there’s plenty of it.

“That’s not me having a go at anybody… people are entitled to opinions. People care about this team, and when the team doesn’t win, they are disappointed, and when this team does win, they’re happy. That’s just the nature of the beast.

“My biggest lesson is stay on task, stay focused, stay identity driven.

“At times during the year, because we were missing so many players, we perhaps over complicated things, tried too many things.

“We put different people in different positions, searching for answers. It comes from a place of care, but I’ve got a few things wrong whilst doing that.

“I’ve learned a lot of lessons from this year which I feel I – and the team – will improve on the back of.”

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