Morgan Knowles opens up on ‘tough’ St Helens exit as Kristian Woolf factor aired

New Dolphins recruit Morgan Knowles admits it was a ‘tough decision’ to leave St Helens, but felt the time was right to make the switch to the NRL.

The 29-year-old forward had spent the entirety of his career at the Saints prior to his move to Redcliffe this off-season, notching 247 appearances for the club in the process.

In that time, he also helped St Helens win four successive Super League Grand Finals between 2019 and 2022, one Challenge Cup and one World Club Challenge.

‘It’s really different for me. I’ve only known one club’

With Knowles coming through the club’s famed academy and spending his whole senior career at the club, making the decision to leave would have weighed heavily on him, but the appeal of an NRL move was a major draw for the dual-England and Wales international.

“It’s really different for me. I’ve only known one club, came through the academy at Saints and spent my whole career there,” he told members of the media in Australia. “But it’s refreshing being at a new club, seeing new things and being in a new competition in the NRL.

“It was always something to think about, moving out to Australia, and with the connection with Woolfey (Kristian Woolfe, current Dolphins head coach and ex-St Helens boss), the opportunity came up so I jumped at it.

“It was a tough decision. I love the club, and I’ve not got a bad word to say about St Helens or the competition. I just think I was ready for a new challenge and a new opportunity to get the best out of myself and come over here and prove myself. If I can do a quarter of what those English guys have come over and done, I’d be pretty happy.”

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While Knowles may now be heading into unfamiliar territory, he will have some sense of stability in the form of ex-St Helens coach Woolfe, and he detailed the effect that relationship had on his eventual switch to the Dolphins.

“Yeah, it (the relationship with Woolfe) was pretty big. It’s daunting coming to a different competition and a different country and not knowing anyone, so having the comfort of him knowing the player and person I am, and likewise, and having that trust there was a pretty big reason in the decision.

“Woolfey thinks a lot of St Helens, so it was always respectful, but we kept in contact since he left. He said if I ever wanted to come out, he wanted to be in the conversation, and obviously coming towards the end of my contract with St Helens, those conversations started.

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