The four Super League head coaches under the most pressure for 2025

[josie andrews]

SUPER LEAGUE 2025 is two months away and predictions are coming in thick and fast.

With all 12 Super League clubs having completed most of their recruitment and retention for the season ahead, focus is now firmly on pre-season and nailing down the basics ahead of the February start line.

Along the way, pressure will build as we get to the business end of the season with some head coaches under more pressure to perform than others.

Here are the Super League head coaches under the most pressure for 2025.

Paul Wellens – St Helens

2024 was a poor one by St Helens’ standards, with a sixth-placed finish the lowest ever in the club’s Super League history. Head coach Paul Wellens was given a new one-year contract for 2025, but with Lee Briers and Eamon O’Carroll as his assistants, an improvement in form will surely follow.

Saints have recruited the likes of Tristan Sailor, Kyle Feldt and Lewis Murphy, but they have also lost club stalwarts Tommy Makinson and Sione Mata’utia. Wellens has an ageing squad at his disposal so it will be interesting to see if they can maintain momentum if injuries are suffered like in 2024.

Saints are expected to perform year in, year out and Wellens knows he will have to get it right next season.

Matt Peet – Wigan Warriors

Matt Peet is under a different type of pressure at Wigan Warriors – the pressure to continue winning. It’s been an incredible journey so far for the born-and-bred Wiganer, with Peet currently having six trophies to his name in just three seasons.

A domestic treble alongside the World Club Challenge triumph in 2024 makes Peet’s job arguably harder in 2025 because the club and the rest of Super League is now so used to Wigan setting the benchmark.

What will help the Warriors is the fact that there has been little turnover within the squad, as only Oldham prop George Hirst has joined the club whilst veteran forward Mike Cooper has retired and Ryan Hampshire released.

Peet knows he has to perform yet again on the biggest stage in 2025, but he has managed it so far with aplomb so don’t be surprised to see more Wigan success next season.

Steve McNamara – Catalans Dragons

Like Paul Wellens above, Steve McNamara had an abject season in charge of Catalans Dragons. For the first time since 2019, the French side failed to make the Super League play-offs – and owner Bernard Guasch was outspoken throughout the year about the need for ‘change’ at the Stade Gilbert Brutus.

McNamara is still at the helm, but his assistant Andy Last has returned to Hull FC, with Ryan Sheridan and Joel Tomkins joining as assistants. There has also been an overhaul of the playing roster, with experienced NRL stars such as Nick Cotric, Luke Keary, Tevita Pangai Junior and Elliott Whitehead all joining as the Dragons missed the older heads in 2024.

Guasch probably won’t stand for another season of mediocrity in 2025 which means that McNamara must get it right and at least be challenging for trophies.

Sam Burgess – Warrington Wolves

We could arguably have gone for Hull KR’s Willie Peters here, but the expectation at Warrington Wolves to win trophies is perhaps higher than at Craven Park – at least for the time being.

Sam Burgess enjoyed a great first year as a professional head coach, steering the Wolves to a Challenge Cup Final a top-four Super League finish. However, no trophies were forthcoming despite the continued high level of investment at the Cheshire club.

Moving forward into 2025, Warrington need to win a trophy this season to satisfy the hunger from everyone associated with the Wolves – Burgess included. He is a born winner and is desperate to succeed, but the quest to silence critics can only be achieved with a trophy.

https://www.totalrl.com/the-four-super- ... -for-2025/

[thegimble]

Matty Peet is under less pressure than any of the Yorkshire coaches. You would think that no side this side of the Pennines gave win a thing in years.

[the pieman]

i fully agree that Wellens and McNamara are under the most pressure just purely cos they've been poor and not delivered success that either the quality of respective squad or outlay on salary cap would expect.

i've posted previously about McNamara and i personally feel he's been given an easy ride, certainly by the press over here

a test of how good Wellens is, will be his ability to get something out of the side this year, but more importantly how he is able to move on ageing players, and replace them. They still have an old side, and some players that should have already been moved on, but still got another year or 2 on their contracts

[morley pie eater]

Amongst others under equal pressure are Cartwright at Hull and Arthur at Leeds.

Burgess must break the falling-at-the-final-hurdle tag so richly deserved by Wire, or he'll go - voluntarily or otherwise.

[ancientnloyal]

Burgess will leave Wire under his own volition

[Blackpool_Pie]

I don't think Peet is under pressure in any way. Burgess has done a lot at Wire too so I don't see any pressure for him either. Daft article

[Nezza Faz]

Amongst others under equal pressure are Cartwright at Hull and Arthur at Leeds.

Burgess must break the falling-at-the-final-hurdle tag so richly deserved by Wire, or he'll go - voluntarily or otherwise.

He’ll go as soon as Wayne Bennett retires, he’s nearly 80, and the Rabbitohs come calling.

[Wiganer Ted]

Amongst others under equal pressure are Cartwright at Hull and Arthur at Leeds.

Burgess must break the falling-at-the-final-hurdle tag so richly deserved by Wire, or he'll go - voluntarily or otherwise.

He’ll go as soon as Wayne Bennett retires, he’s nearly 80, and the Rabbitohs come calling.

If Burgess wins something/anything at Wire then Souths will come calling and he'll answer their call!

[the pieman]

I don't think Peet is under pressure in any way. Burgess has done a lot at Wire too so I don't see any pressure for him either. Daft article

i think the only pressure Matty Peet is under is from himself to keep achieving, and sometimes that it harder than any external pressure. However, from what we've seen i dont think he'll be struggling too much