Gold Coast-bound Justin Holbrook will bid farewell to St Helens desperate to sign off with victory in the Super League grand final.
Despite being one of the traditional powerhouses in the English game, Saints have claimed just one premiership in 13 years – five years ago under Nathan Brown.
Former Sydney Roosters assistant coach Holbrook reinforced his already burgeoning reputation in an impressive two-and-a-half years at a club that sat second-bottom of the ladder when he arrived in May 2017.
Despite some impressive performances during that time, Holbrook’s team have come up short in the matches that matter – namely two preliminary finals and two Challenge Cup semi-finals.
But expectations are high after Saints backed up last year’s minor premiership by finishing 16 points clear of second-placed Wigan.
The turnaround was enough to convince Titans powerbrokers Holbrook is the man to revive the embattled NRL club’s fortunes.
To send Holbrook out on a high, his team will need to beat the unheralded Salford Devils, who stunned Wigan in their preliminary final to book an historic first grand final appearance.
The 43-year-old insists he’ll only afterwards focus on his new team and knows his legacy will have an altogether different outlook if Salford pull off an almighty upset.
“The players have done the hard work all season and that is what I will be reminding them,” Holbrook said.
“It’s going to be a huge occasion and one that would mean everything to me, if I can sign off with a win.
“I’ve said all along, if we play well we’ll win, and if we don’t we won’t.”
Holbrook has been named Super League coach of the year but insists it’s his players who deserve all the credit.
“You need a side that plays well every week and at St Helens we’ve had that,” he said.
“For us to finish 16 points clear of second spot is not easy.
“It’s great to be there on Saturday, it’s what we all want as coaches and players.
“To get the one more team talk in before I leave in the biggest game of the season … I couldn’t be happier.”
