It ended not so much with a bang, but with a whimper. One of rugby league’s most extraordinary streaks has felt as though it was coming to an inevitable end for quite some time but as it transpired, St Helens’ 64-year run of making the playoffs ultimately concluded in a manner that summarises their fall from grace.
You have to go back to 1962 to find an end-of-season playoff series that did not include one of rugby league’s true heavyweight clubs. In the Super League era, they have won 10 titles and were champions of the world as recently as 2023. But this, sadly, is a shadow of that side – and indeed that club.
