MIKE Rush insisted St Helens’ recruitment has not been the issue behind the 10-time Betfred Super League champions’ struggles over the past two years.
Saints won a record four grand finals in a row between 2020 and 2023, but dipped to third and then sixth in the last two campaigns respectively, with the club’s overseas signings particularly coming under scrutiny.
Last year’s signing of Fiji international Waqa Blake from Parramatta Eels, who is now with Betfred Championship side Bradford Bulls, is one which has been held up as an example of a transfer market mistake.
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Yet St Helens CEO Rush insisted that fitted into the club’s Moneyball-style policy of maximising Super League’s salary cap by focusing on homegrown players rather than spending on big-name overseas signings for any of the up to seven non-federation trained places in the squad.
“Without people knowing the salary cap value, it’s very difficult,” Rush, who also launched a staunch defence of head coach Paul Wellens, told Sky Sports’ The Bench podcast.
“It’s what that person sits on our cap, whether they get value. It’s much more detailed than to pick a certain player and say is he’s playing well or not?
“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 what we valued the player at, it was worth a chance to do.
“It’s Moneyball-esque in order to try to get the best value and where our club differs from others, we probably rely more on British players to be at the forefront of leading this club than maybe going and signing a really high-profile overseas player.”
The Super League salary cap currently stands at £2.1million, although utilising various exemptions in the rules governing it meant St Helens were able to maximise than by a further £600,000 in 2024, according to Sky Sports, which put them fourth in estimated cap spend.
This year saw Saints, who are fifth in Super League and eight points behind leaders Hull KR after 12 rounds, add backs Tristan Sailor and Kyle Feldt to their overseas contingent.
The former has had an up and down start to life at the Totally Wicked Stadium and the latter currently sidelined with a hand injury sustained in March after three tries in his first four appearances.
Rush was adamant Saints would continue with their long-term approach which has served them well in the past, too.
“We’ve played in 14 of 28 grand finals, so ours is a long-term model,” Rush said.
“What we’re about is trying to get it right over a sustained, long period of time.
“If we get it right and get the confidence on the field, I still believe we’re in a great position.”