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St Helens keep or sell: Huge decisions on big name stars loom Jackson Hastings in action for St Helens in 2026 St Helens look destined to miss out on the Super League play-offs for the first time ever: and as that becomes reality, it’s clear that change is needed. Coaching change has already happened, with Paul Rowley axed after less than 12 months in the job – an admission of the wrong appointment being made in the first place from the powers that be at the BrewDog Stadium. Rowley’s successor is yet to be confirmed, but whoever it is will have a big job on their hands to rebuild – even when you provide some grace for this year’s failures with a look at the ever-extensive injury list dealt to the Red V. Tough conversations will have to be had, but who out of the squad could be in the firing line? Let’s take a look… Spine We’d do everything in our powers if we were Saints to keep Jack Welsby, George Whitby and Daryl Clark around. 2026 looks likely to be the end of the road for Jonny Lomax, who – if he chooses to retire – can bow out with his head held high, while young hooker Jake Burns has probably shown enough to warrant staying in the mix. Acting captain Jackson Hastings was only brought in on a one-year deal, and for us, hasn’t done enough to earn a new deal from the club. Moving him on would allow a fresh half-back partnership to be pieced together. Tristan Sailor would likely be a part of that pairing at the heart of Saints’ side, and the truth is he’s going nowhere having penned a new three-year deal. We’d have allowed him to move on at the end of this year had it been us making the decisions, though: two years in and he’s still a piece of the jigsaw which doesn’t seem to fit at all, causing major headaches constantly. Outside-backs Wherever Saints play him, Harry Robertson is the player they must rebuild around. He’s there for the long haul, a youngster of remarkable quality and versatility. Owen Dagnall and Jacob Douglas will undoubtedly be sticking around, too, as will veteran Mark Percival now he’s signed a new deal. Perhaps controversially, Nene Macdonald would be retained, if it was up to us. The Papua New Guinea international’s quality is undoubted if they can keep him injury free. It’s more whether he fits into the environment under whoever comes in as the new head coach, and the reality is he’s probably on his way out now Solomona Faataape has been signed from Catalans Dragons. Deon Cross and Lewis Murphy are the two outside-backs we’d be moving on. Neither have really shown the quality required to be a regular in Saints’ first-team, if the club are aiming to challenge at the top of the table again. Pack Captain Matty Lees will give Saints another year of service before joining PNG Chiefs at the end of 2027, with youth products George Delaney, Noah Stephens and Jake Davies all on our ‘must retain’ list. Veterans Curtis Sironen and David Klemmer probably both fall into that category, too, but there’s no denying they need to step things up a level heading into next year. Jacob Host and Daniel Suluka-Fifita probably need more time to impress, while Joe Shorrocks has shown glimpses throughout 2026 but left a lot to be desired at times. He too gets the benefit of the doubt, for us. Big questions need to be asked over the futures of Shane Wright and Matt Whitley, who have both underperformed right the way through this season, while Jake Wingfield may be on his way out having been blighted by a woeful injury record. There’s no way Jed Cartwright should be offered a permanent deal by Saints, his injury record speaks for itself. The last on the list from the pack is Alex Walmsley, whose commitment to the cause has never been doubted, but recent months have seen him struggle. Perhaps a case of whether sentiment alone is enough here.