St Helens re-sign forward on long-term deal as trophy ambition outlined

St Helens have confirmed another of the players to play under Paul Rowley in 2026 with the Red Vee re-signing a forward on a long-term deal.

Since the appointment of Paul Rowley as the club’s new head coach almost a fortnight ago, a number of key players have been handed new deals with England hooker Daryl Clark among those.

Utility forward Jake Wingfield and youngster Leon Cowen are two others and now another name has been added to the list of extended deals, and that’s Matt Whitley.

The second-rower signed for St Helens from Catalans ahead of the 2024 season and he’s now set to head into his third season after signing a new three-year deal.

That keeps him at St Helens until the end of the 2028 season with the lifelong Saints fan looking to build upon his 52 appearances and nine tries when wearing the Red Vee.

St Helens condemn ‘abuse’ after second-rower signs new deal

Whitley’s deal was initially announced at 6 pm on Monday night with the club sharing the news via social media, however, they took the decision to delete that initial post and reshare the news due to what they called ‘abusive comments’.

It’s believed that the comments were not aimed at Whitley but instead the club, though obviously abuse of any nature was understandably condemned and therefore when the news was shared again, comments were restricted.

As for the actual deal and what the 28-year-old said about it, Whitley called it a ‘dream’ to play for St Helens, and spoke about the upcoming three years.

He said: “My goal is to win trophies here, and that’s been the aim since I started playing rugby as a five-year-old. To do it with Saints would be incredible, and that’s what I want to do.”

Whitley, who has been used at centre on plenty of occasions, spoke on his preferred position and his aim to give Paul Rowley some headaches in terms of selection.

“The back row is where I feel most comfortable. I want to make that spot my own, and I’ll do everything I can to make that happen and give Paul [Rowley] some tough decisions.”

On working under Rowley, he said: “I’m really looking forward to working with him and seeing where we can go as a group. I think we’re all excited to get going again and kick on, back to winning ways.”

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😇 𝗪𝗛𝗜𝗧𝗟𝗘𝗬

Saints back-rower Matt Whitley has agreed to a new three-year contract, keeping him at his boyhood club until at least the end of the 2028 season!

Full story 🔻 https://t.co/8TktPu27W2#COYS

— St.Helens R.F.C. (@Saints1890) October 27, 2025