St Helens Grand Final dominance down to squad continuity, says chief Mike Rush

Sign up to our free sport newsletter for all the latest news on everything from cycling to boxing Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Woolf, who will become assistant to Wayne Bennett at new NRL franchise Dolphins in 2023, built on the success of his predecessor Justin Holbrook at Saints as they became the first team to win four Grand Finals in a row and lay claim to be the best team in the club’s history. “They’re a fantastic group of players, led by a fantastic coach, started by another great coach in Justin Holbrook, and fortunately we’ve been able to be on the right end of a few Grand Finals when previously we weren’t able to.” Having bagged four Grand Finals in a row, taking their total to a record nine, Saints will set their sights on Wigan’s pre-Super League record of seven successive title triumphs from 1990 to 1996. “I suppose that’s the power of the salary cap and what it’s meant to do and it’s testament to these players that they buy into that and make sure we can keep this squad together.” Saints underwent major changes in personnel at the end of the 2021 season, partly forced on them by salary cap pressure, but Welsh winger Regan Grace is the only player leaving this time and Rush says the club is on the look-out to strengthen. “We’ve got a pretty settled squad, everybody else has re-signed, but there is a little bit of space if we can find the right player that’s going to complement this group, although not having a quota spot makes it that little bit more difficult.” Any signings will be made by Woolf’s successor, who is expected to be his assistant Paul Wellens, the former St Helens and England full-back who has served a long apprenticeship with club and country since he hung up his boots in 2015.