St Helens CEO defends recruitment failures as ‘moneyball-esque’ strategy championed

St Helens CEO Mike Rush has passionately defended the club’s recruitment strategy, outlining exactly what the club’s vision is in that regard with a ‘moneyball’ comparison made.

Paul Wellens took charge of Saints ahead of the 2023 campaign, and saw his side lift the World Club Challenge title in his first competitive game in charge before coming within a whisker of guiding them to a fifth consecutive Super League Grand Final.

But after defeat in the 2023 play-off semi-finals at Catalans Dragons, little has gone to plan on the field for the Red V.

Last season brought their lowest league finish in 30 years as they ended up 6th, and so far this season, consistency has been a commodity they’ve been unable to get hold of for love, nor money.

For that reason, plenty of the club’s decisions have come under heavy scrutiny from rugby league supporters and the media alike, none more so than their recruitment.

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‘We’re always going to get stuff wrong because whether it’s an overseas player or not, you take risks and you gamble’

Rush, who has held a number of roles at Saints in a stint at the club which has lasted more than 25 years, is among the men deciding on who comes in and out of the building at the Totally Wicked Stadium having been appointed CEO back in 2013.

He has appeared on the latest episode of Sky Sports’ ‘The Bench’ podcast with reporter Jenna Brooks and ex-Saints ace Jon Wilkin, with the latter questioning him on whether he agrees that the club’s recruitment has been poor in recent years.

Wilkin name-dropped current Saints players Moses Mbye and Konrad Hurrell as failed recruits along with Waqa Blake, who arrived ahead of 2024 and departed just a season later, now plying his trade in the Championship for Bradford Bulls.

Rush – unsurprisingly – wasn’t in agreement. The Saints chief responded: “Overseas players are harder to get now.

“Getting a Jamie Lyon or a Matt Gidley, it’s much more difficult.

“When we’re playing well, the team’s playing well and we’re full of confidence, I think that Moses Mbye or Konrad Hurrell add a lot to our team.

“We’re always going to get stuff wrong because whether it’s an overseas player or not, you take risks and you gamble.

“Context is, and without divulging personal business, it’s a salary cap sport. You’re putting certain numbers on players heads that you believe they’re worth.

“Without people knowing the salary cap value, it’s very difficult. It’s where that person sits on our cap (that determines) if we get value.

“It’s much more detailed than just picking a certain player and saying, ‘is he playing well?’

“Waqa Blake played in an NRL Grand Final. That doesn’t make him a great player, but for what we had available in our cap or for what we valued the player at, it was worth a chance to do.”

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‘Ours is a long-term model… what we’re about is trying to get it right over a sustained period of time’

Ahead of the 2025 campaign, Saints brought in both Kyle Feldt and Tristan Sailor from the NRL.

Veteran winger Feldt is currently in the midst of a three-month spell on the sidelines having required surgery on a xx, while Sailor has been among the biggest flops in Super League so far this season.

Explaining the club’s vision with recruitment, Rush said: “It’s moneyball-esque in order to try and get the best value.

“Where our club maybe differs from others is that we rely more on British players to be at the forefront of leading this club rather than going and signing an overseas player.

“You get more bang for your buck with the way the allowances work if you’’e got homegrown marquee players.

“We’ve played in 14 of the 28 Grand Finals, so ours is a long-term model. We can go short-term, but what we’re about is trying to get it right over a sustained period of time.

“It’s only two years ago we were half a minute away from being in a fifth Grand Final in a row. It’s only last year where midway through the season, we were sat equal on points with Wigan, and then we have the disastrous run.

“If we get it right and get the confidence on the field, I still believe we’re in a good position.”

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