EX-SAINTS coach Justin Holbrook has spoken out about his decision to reject Warrington Wolves’ overtures after his next move was confirmed.

Holbrook had been offered the chance to replace Daryl Powell as The Wire’s next head coach.

This would have seen him return to England where he spent two-and-a-half successful seasons with Saints, helping turn round the club's fortunes culminating in the 2019 Super League Grand Final triumph against Salford.

However, he will instead return to former club Sydney Roosters as assistant coach to Trent Robinson – the role he had before joining Saints in 2017 – from next year.

The 47-year-old confirmed there was an offer on the table from Warrington and said he was very close to accepting after he emerged as the club’s number one target.

However, he said a return to England was not the right thing for his family.

“My decision to go with the Roosters was my personal knowledge of the Club and how professional they are,” he told the Roosters’ official website.

“Having very good people that are well-qualified in their roles makes the world of difference to coaches, and knowing Robbo well and how he will challenge me to add value to the Club made this decision make sense to me.

“I must say I was all but gone to England to join the Warrington Wolves who were terrific to deal with, but it just wasn’t right for my family, so again when I spoke to Trent and Nick (Politis, Roosters owner) and understood the role I would play, I felt the Roosters were the right choice.

“Now it’s all done, I am looking forward to doing what I love, and that’s coaching.”