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St Helens, the team head and shoulders above the rest in 2019 – rightly, many would say – ended the season as Super League champions, brushing aside the rest of their competitors and valiant final opponents Salford Red Devils.
For a side that lost just four times all season – three times in the league and once in the Challenge Cup Final – the right to call themselves champions should perhaps have been decided long before October, but Saints overcame calls that they could not win big matches under departing boss Justin Holbrook by finally lifting the Super League trophy for the first time since 2014.
An 18-4 defeat to Warrington in the August Wembley showdown had left a bitter taste in Saints’ fans mouths. After all, St Helens had beaten the Wolves three times prior to the final. But, there was no case of déjà vu this time as Saints triumphed over the underdog, despite Salford’s best efforts.
It was a season of pure brilliance from Saints. With pace, power and skill in abundance, the Lancashire side wowed audiences and thrashed sides as they secured the League Leaders’ Shield with five games to go, ending the season 16 points clear of second-placed Wigan – a record in the Super League era.
In fact, Saints’ attacking and defensive prowess was such that they scored almost 1,000 points and conceded less than 400 to achieve a hugely impressive +521 points difference – Salford, who had the second-best points difference, could only muster +186.
Under Justin Holbrook – who was voted Coach of the Year at the Super League awards night – Saints transformed into a slick, dangerous and cut-throat side, finishing first in both his seasons in charge. But, whilst in 2018, Saints lost both major semi-finals, Holbrook’s chargers destroyed the hoodoo to reign supreme in 2019.
Though Saints lost Ben Barba to the NRL at the end of 2018, their recruitment for 2019 was brilliant, to say the least. The capture of Lachlan Coote, Kevin Naiqama and Joseph Paulo inspired fans as Barba’s departure left a much more well-rounded side.
And, with Luke Thompson, Jonny Lomax, Tommy Makinson, Mark Percival, James Roby, Morgan Knowles and Coote all displaying form that led to their Great Britain call-ups, Saints were tipped to rekindle their 2018 form and they did not disappoint.
Makinson ended the year as the league’s top try-scorer with 23 as well as the highest metre-maker, whilst Matty Lees won the Young Player of the Year award to go with Holbrook’s success. That in itself proved the dominance of Saints, but only trophies are the mark of a successful side. And, there was no other club as deserving to win the Grand Final than the Lancashire club to finally give Holbrook a major trophy before his exit.
The arrival of former Tonga boss Kristian Woolf may shake things up in 2020, but Saints have a squad that can challenge for major honours for a good few years yet. It’s just a shame Holbrook did not leave an even greater legacy at the club, though victory at Old Trafford wasn’t exactly the worst way to bow out.
