New backroom team can push Saints on
St Helens boss Paul Wellens says the arrival of Eamon O'Carroll and Lee Briers to his backroom team can be the impetus his side needs to push on in 2025.O'Carroll arrived off the back of coaching Championship side Bradford Bulls last term while England men's assistant coach Briers joined having spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach at the Brisbane Broncos in Australia.The pair joined Saints as part of a revamped backroom line-up following a 2024 campaign which saw them finish sixth in Super League, with Matty Smith leaving to rejoin Wigan and France coach Laurent Frayssinous also exiting."I feel there's always expectation around us as a club and this year is no different. Obviously we learned some valuable lessons last year and hopefully as a team we can grow off the back of that," Wellens told BBC Radio Merseyside."I felt the environment needed freshening up a bit and that's no slight on the people who aren't here any more. Some fantastic people have left the organisation."Some new faces and new minds bring in fresh ideas, fresh enthusiasm for what we're doing and when you bring in new ideas it brings in a new stimulus for the players as well."
Having had a transitional year in 2024 following the end of their dynasty which saw massive success between 2019 and 2023, Saints have shored up their squad for the new campaign.The club have signed Kyle Feldt and Tristan Sailor from the NRL while promising young players George Delaney and Harry Robertson have signed long-term deals ahead of Saturday's season opener against Salford Red Devils.Wellens says he will require flexibility between Sailor and full-back Jack Welsby over where each player fits in between full-back and stand-off this term."We have to have some flexibility there. It's unlikely we'll have both players there all year for every game," he added."They're both very accomplished in both positions which is a great situation to find ourselves in but we do want to settle on something pretty early."We have throughout the course of pre-season trained them both in both positions but come the weekend we'll go with something we feel is the best fit moving forward."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BreakingNews.ie
39 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Sunday sport: Donegal face Mayo, Tyrone go up against Cavan
Action continues today in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship as things heat up in Group 1, where all four teams can both progress and be eliminated. Donegal and Mayo face off at Dr Hyde Park from 4pm, while at the same time, Tyrone come up against Cavan at Brewster Park. Advertisement Before that, the top spot in Group 3 is up for grabs in the game between Monaghan and Down. Throw in at the Athletic Grounds is at 2pm, with Louth going up against Clare at the same time. Meanwhile, the semi-final line up of the Tailteann Cup will be revealed later. From 1:15pm, Wicklow will take on Westmeath, with Limerick at home to Wexford at 3:45pm. Golf Sam Burns is the man to catch into the final round of the US Open at Oakmont. He is 4 under par, just a shot off Adam Scott and JJ Spaun. Rory McIlroy well off it on 10 over par. Athletics Ireland's Sophie O'Sullivan has claimed a stunning victory at the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Oregon. The 23-year-old stormed to gold in the women's 1,500 metres, clocking 4:07.94 after a blistering final lap of 58.43 seconds. O'Sullivan becomes just the fifth Irish woman to win an NCAA title, following in the footsteps of her mother, Sonia. Meanwhile, Rhasidat Adeleke returns to action this evening at the Stockholm Diamond League. The Dublin woman will line up in the 400 metres at 6pm Irish time.
Belfast Telegraph
an hour ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Down can top All-Ireland group and feed off Croke Park buzz, says ex-skipper
Former Down captain Mark Poland sees no reason why the Mournemen can't beat Monaghan to top their All-Ireland group on Sunday, and has praised manager Conor Laverty for 'pulling everyone together'. Laverty's side have won their two opening matches of the group stages, thus ensuring their progression in the Championship, but if they beat the Oriels then they will top the group and qualify automatically for the Quarter-Final stages.
Scotsman
2 hours ago
- Scotsman
Hibs transfer news: Ex ace makes Premiership return and talent's next move after exit
Here are some of the latest transfer headlines with some Hibs flavourings. Sign up to our Hibs football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Hibs have already got to work in the transfer market and don't bet against them doing some more. The Easter Road side have already signed midfielder Jamie McGrath and goalkeeper Raphael Sallinger ahead of Europa League qualifiers next month. David Gray's side will soon return to pre season training ahead of those clashes with the opponents to be determined next week. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Nectar Triantis is a player on their radar and Hibs would love to strike a deal with Sunderland for the midfielder who shone on loan last season. In the meantime, here are some of the latest transfer headlines with Hibs flavourings. Ex striker returns to Premiership Former Hibs striker Brian Graham is back in the Premiership after joining Falkirk. The veteran ended the season as player-manager at Partick Thistle but after publicly declaring he'd find it difficult to return to their changing room if he weren't to get the gig full time, the head coach role went to Mark Wilson, after Graham rejected it. He now moves to newly-promoted Falkirk to fully focus on playing. He said: 'I'm a young manager as well, but I wanted to take a step back and concentrate on my football this year. I want to get a bit of family life back, some more free time and I'm looking forward to that. This is an opportunity for myself to get back into the Premiership. Going to the bigger stadiums is really special, particularly as you get a bit older. I've experienced it, but those feelings never go away when you're going to play at the best grounds in the country. That is another reason why I wanted to move here to Falkirk." Boss John McGlynn said: 'Brian Graham is someone both myself and Paul have worked with before having signed him for Raith Rovers from Morton back in 2011, I've got to say he's had an amazing career and it's a credit to him and the way he's look after himself that he's still one of the hardest working strikers going about. His stats are very impressive scoring fifteen Championship goals and twenty-one goals in all competitions, he has the natural instincts of a top striker, he's in the right place at the right time, he knows the position inside out, with the number of crosses we put in the box I'm sure there's plenty more goals to come. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Brian is a winner, he is very determined individual and his experience at this level will be important to the team, I've said we needed Premiership experience and physicality, and Brian brings both of those in abundance, we're all looking forward to working with him.' Marseille namedrop Hibs in signing announcement Ligue 1 heavyweight Marseille have made mention of Hibs after signing CJ Egan-Riley from Burnley. He leaves Turf Moor after his contract expiring, spending a spell on loan at Easter Road as he developed. A statement reads: 'Olympique de Marseille is delighted to announce the signing of Conrad Jaden Egan-Riley. The 22-year-old English Under-21 international defender has joined the club after successfully completing his medical. Born in Manchester, CJ Egan-Riley came through the ranks at Manchester City, progressing through all of the youth teams. A right-footed central defender, he made his professional debut in an English League Cup match in September 2021, at just 18 years old. A few months later, he earned his first start in the Champions League under Pep Guardiola, against Sporting CP in March 2022, before being signed by Burnley FC. 'He was then loaned out, first to Scottish Premiership side Hibernian FC, and then to PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie. He returned to Burnley for the 2024/2025 season, which proved to be a breakout year - playing in almost every match (41 appearances) as part of a defence that conceded just 16 goals across 46 games. Solid and composed in build-up play, the powerful 22-year-old English defender was a key figure in Burnley's historic campaign, which ended with a second-place finish and promotion to the Premier League.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Talent makes next move Edinburgh City have signed Malik Zaid following the expiry of his Hibs contract. The youngster had previously spent some time out on loan at Meadowbank and was one of the young players to leave Leith at the end of last season alongside Reuben McAllister, Murray Aiken plus Kyle McClelland. Zaid joined Hibs September 2021 after working with the Hanlon Stevenson Foundation and then going on trial ahead of gaining a pro deal. He was an impressive performer in the UEFA Youth League before his Edinburgh City loan stints alongside time at Annan Athletic and Civil Service Strollers. The Citizens said: 'He's here to stay. Edinburgh City are delighted to announce the signing of attacker Malik Zaid.'
