Paul Rowley ‘should have been sacked earlier’ as Jon Wilkin hints at player disharmony

Sam Tomkins and Jon Wilkin have launched a deep dive into St Helens’ decision to sack Paul Rowley on the eve of the derby with Wigan Warriors – with Tomkins believing it should have happened earlier and Wilkin insisting there may have been a split between Rowley and some senior players.

Rowley sensationally left the Saints just 24 hours out from their trip to the Brick Community Stadium on Friday night. It was stressed in the club statement that he had sacked, but all the talk since has been that it was a mutual decision at the very least – a mood reiterated by both Tomkins and Wilkinson on Sky on Friday evening.

They did not hold back in their assessment of how it did not work out for Rowley in his nine months in charge, with Wilkin pointing to a ‘Salfordication’ of the club since Rowley’s arrival as key.

‘The writing has been on the wall’

Wilkin said: “It was a multitude of reasons that’s gone into it. I’m not surprised, the writing has been on the wall for some time for Paul Rowley.

“Paul Rowley was brought in to adapt the team’s style but one of the issue I found is we didn’t deliver on that. I’d go to April 3rd, the Good Friday win, that was the start of the end.

“He brought Bill Leyland in, Matt Peet’s identity comments, and from that point.. he got hired because of how well he managed the roster at Salford but that got him fired. You’ve looked at him bringing in players like Jed Cartwright, players who they think are sub-standard into the Saints outfit, and the fans simply won’t accept it.”

Wilkin then reiterated that he felt the fanbase had begun to turn away from Rowley’s tenure, leaving the club’s hierarchy with no decision.

He said: “I think there’s a disconnect between the players and the fans. What he’s saying is the fans who pay their hard-earned money aren’t able to criticise him. They’re well entitled to do that and they’re voting with their feet. The fans are the commercial driver there and if they’re not there, the club struggles commercially.”

Tomkins insisted that he felt it was a call that potentially could have been made before the eve of the game.

“Quite early on in terms of performance, the 32-0 in the Challenge Cup semi-final would not be acceptable for the Saints. He’s limped his way through a little bit. That day against Toulouse, that was the day he should have lost his job. The timing is horrendous.. it’s a shocking timing and I think it should have been done a lot earlier,” he said.

“When he was in charge at Salford, Paul Rowley got nothing but pats on the back. If you pull a win out of the bag, it’s, ‘Paul Rowley’s a genius’. But coaching St Helens is a completely different animal and we’ve seen that, and the way he’s tried to bring a bit of Salford mentality in. The fans don’t want a Salford mentality, they want to build on what St Helens is.”

Did player power have a say?

Sky anchor Brian Carney then questioned whether or not the decision to part company with Rowley would have occurred without the blessing of the senior players.

“It doesn’t happen, no,” Wilkin said.

“I would imagine there was a disconnect between Saints, the style, the feeling of the club and the championship mindset they had, and an element of looseness that came in with the Salford culture that was maybe brought into the club.

“The senior players are very powerful. But it’s more than results and the players, it’s all of it together. It’s not just one thing. It’s a combination of all those things that lead to a coach being sacked just nine months in.

“What did they want from a coach? In nine months? I don’t think he was the right guy from the start. I think the media have conceived RowleyBall. It’s not a style.”

When attention turned to a replacement, Wilkin admitted: “It’s a shocking position to be in but I can’t imagine that they’ve made that call without a plan. They’re making some loose decisions at the minute.

“They need a strong appointment, someone who gets how to be a big personality at a big club and how to engage with supporters and get them to come back. Saints is a massive club and they’ve been managing what has been a loss-making club for a while now and this is another decision in that chain of events.”