St Helens are approaching what promises to be another pivotal year when it comes to their squad building and development.
The Saints have already made a raft of changes to their squad over the off-season with Jackson Hastings, Jacob Host, Joe Shorrocks, David Klemmer and Shane Wright arriving at the club ahead of the 2026 campaign. Those new names have been brought in to replace the likes of Morgan Knowles, Moses Mbye and Jon Bennison, who have now departed.
Agnatius Paasi, Curtis Sironen and Jake Wingfield were among those to be kept on by the Saints with new deals being signed, but it’s fair to say they have a lot more retention calls to make over the coming months.
In total, 11 players are now in the final 12 months of their respective contracts at BrewDog Stadium and that includes Shorrocks and Hastings, who joined on one-year deals.
Here’s a rundown of St Helens’ contract situation
St Helens contract state of play
2026: Kyle Feldt, Lewis Murphy, Mark Percival, Tristan Sailor, Jonny Lomax, Alex Walmsley, Joe Shorrocks, Leon Cowan, Jake Wingfield, Agnatius Paasi, Jackson Hastings.
Decisions will be made later in the season on Hastings and Shorrocks, you’d expect, having joined the club in the off-season and, particularly in the case of Hastings, much may well depend on their own plans.
However, there’s a big decision to be made around Sailor, who struggled to really look settled during his first season with the club. His best position is undoubtedly at full-back, where Jack Welsby is considered to be first choice, and if Paul Rowley cannot find a solution, a departure may well be on the cards.
Alex Walmsley and Jonny Lomax are both 35 years old and given their age, decisions regarding their futures can be expected to be made later in the season.
Kyle Feldt and Mark Percival still have plenty left to give, as they showcased last season, while Lewis Murphy will be hoping to shake off the injuries that blighted his first year at St Helens.
2027: Jack Welsby, Deon Cross, Shane Wright, Jacob Host, David Klemmer, Curtis Sironen, Jake Burns, Daryl Clark.
He didn’t give the best account of himself in the Ashes, but St Helens will be keen to tie Jack Welsby up on a longer deal before NRL clubs start to come knocking for him. In 12 months he will be available for other clubs to talk to and he’ll surely be one Super League name being monitored as the 24-year-old enters his prime years as a player.
Most of the other names on the above list have either recently signed new deals or just joined the club, ensuring the Saints will be sitting comfortably regarding their futures.
2028: George Delaney, Noah Stephens, Harry Robertson, George Whitby, Owen Dagnall, Matt Whitley, Jacob Douglas.
St Helens will be delighted to have the above names wrapped up long term given their potential and importance to the future of the club.
Robertson was one of the stars of Saints’ 2025 campaign and he’ll only continue to improve, while Delaney and Stephens are now considered key members of their pack.
Whitby is highly thought of and will be looking to kick on in 2026, while Dagnall made a successful breakthrough in the outside backs last term.
2029: Matty Lees
The 27-year-old was arguably one of England’s best in the Ashes and St Helens will be pleased to have him tied down long-term. He would have been on the radars of NRL clubs before penning his latest deal in February, of that there is no doubt. He’ll go into the 2026 season as club captain.
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