Rowley 'not pressured for positive Saints start'

St Helens boss Paul Rowley is not under pressure to have an immediate positive start as he prepares for his first season in charge, chairman Eamonn McManus has said.

The former Salford Red Devils head coach joined Saints during the off season after the departure of Paul Wellens.

Rowley takes over a club which reached the Super League play-off semi-final stage last season, but have underperformed in recent seasons.

From 2019 to early 2023 they won four successive Super League Grand Finals, the Challenge Cup and the World Club Challenge.

Asked by BBC Radio Merseyside whether Rowley must hit the ground running, McManus said: "He doesn't have to, but it certainly helps.

"There are 35 games during the season, so I'm much more interested in how we finish than how we start. But a good start in rugby league is important. You normally find that the teams that start well are there or thereabouts at the end of the season.

"This a very competitive league. We've always had four vying at the top of the league but now I would say we've got seven, eight or nine teams."

Ahead of the 2026 campaign, St Helens have signed St George Illawarra Dragons and Australia forward David Klammer, former Man of Steel Jackson Hastings, Wigan's Jacob Douglas and ex-Salford pair Nene Macdonald and Joe Shorrocks.

The club have also tied up Jake Wingfield, Daryl Clark, Matt Whitley, Curtis Sironen, Jake Burns and Agnatius Paasi to new contracts.

Despite the changes in the off season, McManus does not believe Saints have taken a gamble with their recruitment.

"Everything's a calculated risk. It's not a gamble. But it's obvious to all that the results of the past two to three years have not been at the level [required]," he added.

"You can't expect continuous success, and it denigrates other clubs who have really improved.

"There's been huge investment in a lot of clubs over the past two or three years, so the landscape in Super League isn't what it was. You no longer have three or four teams who would pick and choose players and inevitably the competition was between them. It's much more competitive.

"There are many more clubs chasing and producing top-class players."