Paul Rowley has wished St Helens all the best with the club’s former head coach speaking publicly for the first time after his surprise departure last month.
St Helens announced Rowley would leave the club just over 24 hours before they faced off against Wigan Warriors, with assistant coach Eamon O’Carroll taking charge until the end of the season.
Saints had not hit the form that was expected under Rowley but the club’s mounting injury list seemed to offer plenty of mitigation, especially considering the fact the club were still in the top six at the time of Rowley’s departure.
St Helens have now moved swiftly on, even appointing Australia head coach Kevin Walters as their boss for 2027, with that news coming on Thursday, just a day before Paul Rowley worked a commentary gig.
Rowley was on BBC Radio 5 Live comms to cover the Wigan Warriors and Wakefield Trinity game but he was of course asked about his St Helens’ exit, which he spoke about honestly.
“It’s quite simple really. Eamonn McManus [St Helens chairman] did the interview on Sky Sports a few weeks ago and pretty much summed it up,” Rowley explained.
He’d add: “I’m still employed by the club as it stands.”
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As for the club’s incoming employee, Rowley said: “As we all saw yesterday [Thursday], it was a bit of a shock announcement to the rugby league world and myself that Kevin Walters, a very esteemed coach, is going to go to St Helens.
“They’re cracking on, and I wish them all the best for the rest of the season.
“I’m doing the gardening and learning to cook at the minute.”
It has been reported down under that Walters will be paid a whopping £1,000,000 across the course of his three-year contract, with Rowley explaining that he’s not around social media but that he had seen some who were ‘wide-eyed’ regarding the reported numbers.
