After watching his side handily beat Huddersfield Giants, Catalans Dragons coach Joel Tomkins has teased two new signings for his side.
Catalans came out as 26-10 winners against Huddersfield in horrible conditions in the south of France with the Dragons’ new recruits, particularly their halves, combining well to earn them two points.
Full-back Charley Staines earned the Man of the Match award but halves Toby Sexton and Lewis Dodd were among the other standout signings, as well as Solomona Faataape.
One signing who won’t play in 2026 is Manase Kaho with Catalans recently confirming that the winger will be out for 12 months and that’s seen reports emerge that ex-Super League man Matty Russell could make the move to Perpignan.
Asked about that, Joel Tomkins didn’t confirm the move but he did note that they will be signing a winger, as well as a forward to replace the injured Franck Maria.
Tomkins said: “We’ve lost Manase for 12 months and he was a big part of our plans so we’re definitely looking at bringing someone in as a replacement for Manase.
“We’ve also lost Franck Maria so we might look at bringing someone in to cover that spot as well.
“I don’t think anything has been confirmed yet so I can’t confirm that but that’s what we will be doing.”
The BIG Super League preview with every team covered and predictions made – Click here to watch the latest episode of The Serious About Rugby League Show
Catalans Dragons playing on a reduced salary cap in 2026
Kaho was one of several signings made by Catalans that hailed from the lower grades in Australia with fewer big name signings such as Luke Keary arriving.
Explaining why, Joel Tomkins confirmed that Catalans are not spending up to the salary cap of £2.1 million this season as a result of the continued financial pressures of having to pay for the travel of English Super League teams.
“We had to change our recruitment strategy. We haven’t got the resources that we’ve had in years gone by because of the constraints put on the club with paying for away team travel,” Tomkins confirmed.
“We’re playing to a reduced salary cap this year so we had to think of a different way of recruiting and we looked at the Queensland Cup and the New South Wales Cup, and players in their early 20s who want to come to Super League and make a name for themselves.
“What we’ve lost in experience and the big names, we’ve definitely gained in enthusiasm and I thought that showed. The way we started the game in that first 20 minutes was outstanding and that’s what we wanted from our boys.”
The Dragons are on the board in 2026 🐲#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/AzJS5LbIaR
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) February 13, 2026
