St Helens have secured the long-term future of England international Matty Lees, fighting off interest from overseas. The forward has penned a new four-year deal with the Saints, meaning he will be with the Merseyside outfit until the end of the 2029 season at least.
Lees is said to have received interest from both hemispheres with his previous contract being due to expire at the end of the season. However, the Saints have nailed down their star middle, who has been with the club since joining as a 16-year-old.
The 27-year-old made his debut for the club back in 2017 and he now has 166 appearances for the club under his belt. Having earned a spot in last year’s Dream Team, he has also made nine appearances for England.
“I’m really excited, this is such a great club and I’ve got lots of great memories here over the last few years,” he told the club website after penning the deal. “We’ve probably struggled in the last couple of years but the memories I have at this club are unbelievable and I want to try and carry that on.
“I want to try and get us back on track, that’s a real focus of mine and the next big challenge for me as a leader in this team. I want to try and put my mark on it now and really hold our own.”
He added: “It’s a scary thought that I’m coming up to ten years at the club next year. – it’s gone so fast! The journey it has taken me on, all the injuries, all the silverware we’ve won, and all the special memories I have with the different groups that have come through in those ten years. I’m looking forward to the next few years now.”
Speaking about the prop’s extension, St Helens head coach Paul Wellens added: “Matty has been incredible from the very first day he came into the Club, and his influence on the team has grown. Now, he is very much a leader in every sense of the word and we are delighted that Matty will continue his career with us.
“His teammates look up to him and respect him, and that will only grow moving forward. Matty is an elite player, an international-class player, and someone that I think not just people in this club but everybody can look at with the way he plays and you have to respect him for what he does on the field.
“We want to build our team around people like Matty Lees and he’s a great influence not only on the senior players but also the young players. The likes of George Delaney and Noah Stephens, young middle forwards have that role model in Matty to look up to.”
