Former St Helens coach Paul Wellens has left North Queensland Cowboys after just a solitary season following a shake-up of their football and coaching department.

Wellens only headed Down Under a year ago, landing a role with the Cowboys after departing the Saints following a disappointing spell in charge of the Super League giants.

But it appears that the former Great Britain fullback is set to remain in Australia, with speculation Down Under seemingly suggesting he will land a new role at another NRL club.

Paul Wellens departs North Queensland

In a wide-ranging post on their website confirming Todd Payten’s coaching team for 2027, there was peculiarly no mention of Wellens whatsoever – not even confirming a departure from the club.

Former Wigan Warriors half-back Blake Green will remain as an assistant to Payten while the club confirmed Mitchell Dunn has been promoted to a number two in the NRL.

That appears to have sealed Wellens’ departure.

“The club is excited about the construction of our Football Department for 2027, in particular our new-look High Performance Unit,” Cowboys Football Club CEO Micheal Luck said.

“We have brought in new people with new ideas, who have come from diverse backgrounds and bring different perspectives to an area that is a critical piece of all high-performing programs.

“We consider ourselves a development club, that includes staff, which is why we are pleased to finalise Mitch Dunn’s promotion to the NRL coaching staff after a terrific apprenticeship with our pathways programs following his playing retirement.

“We are eager to see Todd and his staff hit the ground running when our first crop of players return for the start of pre-season next week.”

Where next for Paul Wellens?

Wellens, who served as one of two assistant coaches for Brian McDermott alongside Sean O’Loughlin at the recent Rugby League World Cup, is not returning to England though, it seems.

Speculation in Australia has suggested that he will be moving across to the Dolphins – which will see him reunite with a man he knows very well in the shape of another former St Helens coach, Kristian Woolf.

Woolf has been on the hunt for an assistant after the departure of Nathan Fien after he agreed to join St George-Illawarra Dragons as an assistant for the 2027 season.

And it appears Wellens could be the man to take that role on and continue his coaching career Down Under – which would see him link up with England trio George Williams, Herbie Farnworth and former Saints star Morgan Knowles.