Former Wigan Warriors, Hull FC and Widnes Vikings prop has new coaching appointment confirmed

The former Wigan, Hull and Widnes forward makes the move after 12 months in charge of Bradford Bulls in the Championship, guiding the club to a third-place finish in the regular season and to the knockout semi-finals.

As a player, O’Carroll made 149 Super League appearances, and made his professional debut with Wigan in 2006 in a Challenge Cup match against Wakefield Trinity.

A former Ireland international, his coaching career began at Widnes following his retirement from the field, and also worked as an assistant coach under Steve McNamara at Catalans Dragons in the South of France.

He was head coach of Newcastle Thunder before taking the job at the Bulls, with Brian Noble to take charge of the West Yorkshire outfit for a second time ahead of 2025.

The 37-year-old now steps up to join the coaching setup at Saints, alongside Lee Briers, who signed a two-year deal from Brisbane Broncos ahead of 2025 to work alongside Wellens.

On the move, O’Carroll said: “I’m really excited and honoured to be joining a club of the stature of St Helens, it’s a huge honour not just for myself but for my family as well.

"I feel refreshed after a couple of weeks off and I’m ready to go, settle and be closer to home and my family at a really good club. This is huge for me, and I feel I can really get stuck in and work well at St Helens.

“The first time I spoke to Paul [Wellens], his enthusiasm about the club – he cares so deeply about it and has been here for so long as a player and coach. I felt that intensity when he spoke, making it clear straight away what he expects from everyone in the group, staff included, and I got excited about that.

“I think Lee [Briers] and I work very similarly, we are about high energy and want to get a buzz around the boys, help them develop and drive standards, so I am sure we’ll work well together.

“We all had a meeting the other day and spoke about a few things. I got such good vibes immediately, so we’ll work really well together.”