St Helens star, Tristan Sailor has kept his cards close to his chest, when answering the question regarding which position he will play in 2026.
The former Brisbane Broncos man played a range of positions this season, as the team struggled to figure out how to utilise him best.
Barring the Challenge Cup opener against West Hull, he partnered Jonny Lomax in the halves for the first eight games of the year, before he moved to full-back. From then on, he switched positions across the campaign, and played on the wing, and even had stints at hooker.
Where he will play next year has been a topic of conversation, especially now that Saints have recruited Jackson Hastings from the NRL, who is likely to take up one of the starting halves roles. He was given the number six jersey in Saints’ squad number reveal in November, which suggests he will remain in the halves, however that could be a ruse, with very few people knowing exactly where he will feature.
In an interview with SaintsTV, Sailor remained quiet on where he would play next year, but did reveal that, attacking wise, the squad are in a better position now than they were through the season.
“I don’t think I’m able to,” he said when asked what to reveal his 2026 position. “We’ve definitely got some clarity and nailing down our combinations and where it fits in. The beauty of our attack is that everyone is, sort of everywhere, so we all sort of work as one big organism, and it’s working really effectively.
“I just want to focus on being the best I can be for the team and forging those new combinations with boys that are already here, like Robbo and Feldty [Harry Robertson and Kyle Feldt], but also with the new players coming in.”
One thing that Saints, and Sailor, struggled with in 2025 was consistency, and being able to perform well in those games that it mattered most. Across the year, Saints failed to earn victory in any game against Hull KR, Wigan Warriors or Leigh Leopards, which was one of the main reasons they finished outside the top four.
The playmaker knows that being consistent throughout the year will go a long way to achieving their goals, with new head coach Paul Rowley already agreeing with him that it’s one of the things in his game he needs to work on.
He said: “I think both individually and as a team, consistency’s the thing. Morgs [Morgan Knowles] was a prime example of that. He was always consistent and the more consistent you are, the more likely we are to get a good result.
“That’s really important for us. We’re going to need that consistency going into the big games and I think a lot more teams are stronger this year, so we’re going to face a lot more challenges. Being consistent in how we play and how we approach it is going to be really important.”
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St Helens star praises new boss as message to fans given
On his new boss, who joins the club from Salford Red Devils on a three-year deal, Sailor admitted that Rowley has already put his handprint on the Saints tactics, with his renowned attacking style being one of the major changes of the Red Vee next year.
He said: “He’s been really good. He’s been working on the fundamentals and creating an environment that we can connect, not only on the field, but off the field.
“We have a lot more common areas, and I guess just fostering that connection between the boys. Then on the field, as we’ve said, focusing on those combinations in attack and just bringing some excitement and expression.
“He’s really big on players expressing themselves individually, and that allows people to be brave and more confident on the field.”
The 27-year-old hopes that Rowley’s style will give fans another thing to cheer about. After three years without success, Sailor thinks the Saints faithful will be fully on board with how their new boss will develop the side.
“I think as fans, they should be really excited,” he said. “They’ve been screaming out for attack, and I think if Rowls is bringing anything to the team it’s going to be attack. We’re definitely going to be brave, and it ‘s probably not going to come off all the time, but it’s going to come off a lot more than last year, so I think that’s something to be excited about.”
6️⃣ Hear from Tristan Sailor as he discusses his second preseason in the Red Vee 🙌🙌
Attacking rugby, consistency, and togetherness. Three big talking points as we look ahead to 2026! 💪
Tristan will be there… Will you?
😇 https://t.co/iVr0pnl7Ug#COYS pic.twitter.com/TMUAq8TRP3— St.Helens R.F.C. (@Saints1890) December 6, 2025
