St Helens boss Kristian Woolf coy on future with Super League champions

St Helens boss Kristian Woolf has admitted his future at the club is not “cemented yet” as speculation grows about a potential move back to the NRL. Australian Woolf, who is out of contract at the end of the season, had already been linked with an assistant role at newcomers the Dolphins for 2023.

But there is another NRL coaching vacancy now after Trent Barrett yesterday quit as Canterbury Bulldogs chief. Woolf, 46, has won back-to-back Grand Finals since taking the reins at the end of 2019 and also led Saints to Challenge Cup success at Wembley last year.

He revealed today that the Super League leaders have worked to secure new deals for a number of out of contract players for 2023. But asked what his own future looks like beyond this season, the Tonga boss said: “That’s not something that’s cemented just yet.

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“And, to be honest, it’s not something I really want to talk about too much either. It’s not so much that I don’t want to talk about things but from the point of view of my commitment, it is 100 per cent in St Helens and 100 per cent in what we’re doing here.

“I do understand that there is other speculation out there and there’s things happening in Australia as well. But for me to go on and be worried about that, I wouldn’t be showing the respect to this playing group and with where we sit in the competition right now and with what we have the ability to achieve.

“That’s where my focus and attention is. I’m 100 per cent committed to this group of players. I thoroughly believe we can achieve something special here this year and I know we have a playing group capable of that. We’ve had some hardship, had some injuries