NRL stalwart Ben Hornby is the early frontrunner to replace Paul Rowley in the hotseat at St Helens, according to the bookmakers.

Having only been in charge a matter of months after penning a three-year deal ahead of the 2026 campaign, Saints confirmed the departure of head coach Rowley last week ahead of their derby defeat at Wigan Warriors.

Assistant Eamon O’Carroll already has a job lined up in rugby union with Scarlets come 2027, and has been informed he will remain in interim charge until the end of the current campaign.

Accordingly, it appears that an appointment will be made in the coming months, with plenty of speculation already around who the Super League heavyweights may plump for.

The bookmakers have wasted no time in producing their early odds, with a whopping 29 different names put on the market by Betfred, the principal sponsors of Super League among the bulk of Britain-based professional rugby league competitions.

* All information correct at time of publishing on July 28, 2026. Please Gamble Responsibly.

Ben Hornby leads way in St Helens odds

46-year-old Hornby leads the race, according to the bookmakers, as he seeks his first permanent appointment as a head coach in first-grade rugby league: priced at 7/4.

A St George Illawarra Dragons legend, he has been in and around the coaching world for a number of years Down Under and has held a number of roles.

His only previous head coach experience at first-grade level came in an interim stint in charge of South Sydney Rabbitohs back in 2024, with ex-Australia international Hornby known to have just missed out on the head coach vacancy at St George.

Surprisingly, current Saints interim boss O’Carroll is third-favourite at 8/1 despite having already lined his job with Scarlets up for 2027 previous to the departure of Rowley.

Fellow assistant coach Lee Briers’ name is also among the 29 on the market currently, priced at 12/1 alongside former Australia Rugby Union World Cup winning coach Michael Cheika, the man who former Saints skipper Bobbie Goulding believes should get the job.

Further down the list, the likes of club legend Sean Long and current England head coach Brian McDermott are priced at 20/1 alongside Kevin Walters, who led Australia to their whitewash series win in last autumn’s three-Test Ashes Series.

An abundance of Super League coaches feature, including incoming Hull KR and Hull FC bosses Nathan Cayless (14/1) and Steve McNamara (25/1) as well as Leigh Leopards chief Adrian Lam (28/1).

And remarkably, Betfred price former Saints head coach Paul Wellens at just 28/1 to return to the BrewDog Stadium and take the reins again despite his departure at the end of last season.

Odds in full

Market: ‘Next permanent St Helens head coach’ – from favourite to outsiders…

Ben Hornby – 7/4
Ben Gardiner – 5/1
Eamon O’Carroll – 8/1
Kurt Haggerty – 10/1
Jason Demetriou, Lee Briers, Michael Cheika – 12/1 each
Nathan Cayless – 14/1
Matt King & Willie Talau – 16/1 each
Sean Long, Brian McDermott, Ian Talbot, Kevin Walters – 20/1 each
Justin Holbrook, Steve McNamara, Ian Watson, Nathan Fien, Ryan Carr – 25/1 each
Adrian Lam, Blake Green, Danny Buderus, Daryl Powell, Jamie Langley, Michael Maguire, Paul Wellens – 28/1 each
Sam Burgess, Brad Arthur, Craig Fitzgibbon – 33/1 each