Lewis Dodd will become the next English star to test himself down under per reports with the St Helens half set to move to South Sydney Rabbitohs for the 2025 season, however, one of his current teammates has revealed why he knocked back any NRL advances.
Making the switch to the NRL isn’t for everyone. There are undoubtedly plenty of Super League players who boast the talent to play down under and whilst several do, plenty knock back the call.
One of those that has opted to stay in England and remain loyal to St Helens is Alex Walmsley with the prop forward having penned a new deal to keep him at the club until the end of the 2026 season.
The 34-year-old will likely end his career as a Saint, whilst 22-year-old Dodd looks set to chance his arm down under, both decisions that should be applauded and reflect the opposite spectrums of where each man is in their career.
Speaking to The Bench podcast, Walmsley explained that it was an “easy decision” to stick with St Helens.
He explained: “Being part of a great club was an easy decision in the end and something that was fast and done quite quickly; I’m enjoying my Rugby, which is something I’ve always been adamant about, especially this year. I’ve enjoyed being back on the field.”
“To re-sign and confirm where I’m gonna be in the next two years is very reassuring.”
Walmsley is currently set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines according to head coach Paul Wellens who revealed that he could be without his starting prop for up to four months in a devastating blow for Saints.
Could St Helens’ star Alex Walmsley have gone to the NRL?
Credit: Imago Images
Another thing that Walmsley told both Jenna Brooks and Jon Wilkin on The Bench was that he has knocked back NRL advances on multiple occasions but the Dewsbury-born forward explained what kept him in England.
In a refreshingly honest answer, Walmsley explained: “I think it boils down to being happy; when I made my decision to re-sign, it was always based on whether am I happy. Am I enjoying my Rugby? There’s always that potential to earn more money elsewhere, but I was happy at Saints.”
He also alluded to the fact that there were multiple opportunities to move down under, explaining that ‘the first’ of those came in 2015 when he was starting to tear it up in Super League.
“The first opportunity came as early as 2015 when I was going into my third year with St Helens. At that point, I was still learning the game, so I made myself a first-team starter at Saints, which didn’t feel like the right time to go.”
Despite never making the move to the NRL, it’s ironic that Walmsley identified victory over an NRL team as his career highlight. He explained that the famous World Club Challenge win at the start of the 2023 season was his ‘proudest moment’ in a St Helens shirt.
“I think the proudest moment is Penrith game away, going into their backyard achieving what we achieved out there with all the success they had that season and performing how we did and winning shows that we can not only compete with them but win”.
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