Strategy Or Sentiment: Is Percy On The Move?

With just a week to go until the start of the Super League season there's been a late surprise in Saints' squad planning for 2026 and beyond. 

Mark Percival - a Saints academy product who has been a fixture of the first team for almost 13 years - could be heading for the exit. A Love Rugby League 'exclusive' suggests that a two-year contract offered to him by the club has been withdrawn. The report also states that he has been 'made available to other clubs immediately'.

It's not totally clear whether the contract offer was an extension of his current deal which expires at the end of this season, or whether it would have started in 2027 and kept him at the club until the end of 2028 when he will be 34. The club has yet to comment at the time of writing, further muddying the waters.

So let's take it at face value and assume that Percival will depart. As popular as he has been over the years the question of whether to move on from him or not is still a divisive one among the fan base. This is a player who has made 274 appearances in the red vee and has been a part of five Super League Grand Final winning squads. Twenty-five of those 274 appearances were starts in 2025. This calls into question the time honoured grumble that you'll never get a full season out of him.

And yet for all that I can see the logic in letting him go. He might have been on the field a lot last season - and in 2024 when he made 21 appearances - but that isn't the same as being effective. Peak Percival - using his pace and strength to lay waste to opposition defences - has been an idea and not a reality for some time now. 

His body has been pummelled by the constant requirement to run the ball in at a set defensive line early in the tackle count. He might as well have been playing second row as opposed to centre, so scarce were his opportunities to find space to run into. A lot of that is tactical as successive coaches have all but abandoned the concept of expansive rugby. 

Wherever you want to lay the blame he just isn't the same player. With the arrival of Nene McDonald to add to existing centre options Deon Cross and Harry Robertson it just might make sense to free up Percival's cap space for greater need. Like hooker, where cover is thin. Soon to be 33-year-old Daryl Clark is Saints' only reliable option. A club which had two of the all-time greats at 9 spanning a 30-year period now finds itself short in that department.

Social media is in overdrive in reaction to online suggestions that a two-year contract had been offered to Percival and then withdrawn. Love Rugby League's piece states only that discussions had been held about a new deal which would have taken the former England international past the end of his current agreement. It then hedges its bets rather by suggesting that it is 'believed' that such a deal is no longer an option. Wherever the truth sits, failure to come to an agreement in discussions is not the same as offering a contract and then withdrawing it. But when did social media users ever wait for clarity?

From the club's point of view the decision to let Percival go - if it transpires - is strategic and not personal. The timing is off just a week before the season opener at Warrington on February 13 but it should be remembered that Saints have a new head coach who may still be formulating his long term plans. Perhaps Paul Rowley has seen something in pre season training that has swayed his thinking. 

Despite most fans calling for him to do so, it doesn't look as though Rowley will opt to move Robertson to six any time soon. This might surprise anyone who saw him weave through the Leeds Rhinos defence in the build up to Shane Wight's 'shite to Wright' playoff miracle at Headingley in September. Or any number of occasions on which Robertson's ball skills and elusiveness have been apparent. 

As it is it leaves the youngster to continue his outstanding development at centre. In turn that could have left Percival surplus to requirements with McDonald and Cross also vying for game time. Owen Dagnall is another centre option even if his breakout games so far have been as a winger. His future could be at centre with 31-year-old McDonald currently something of a stop gap.  If Percival isn't needed then sentiment should not insist on him.

If there is a chase on for Percival's services then online rumour has it that Leigh and Warrington are leading it. There's a good argument against strengthening a potential playoff rival. Yet ultimately there's a better argument for making the right choice for your own needs. You can't always control where players end up if you decide to cut them loose. 

If one of those or any other Super League club snaps Percival up they will be getting a hugely experienced, highly decorated performer who might be more of a threat in a team with a more expansive gameplan. He's also still a pretty good defender. Just don't ask him to consider the wishes of his winger if he does find himself in open space. It would be a wrench for him to leave Saints I'm sure but it could also be the reset that the latter part of his career needs. 

What are your thoughts on the situation? Do you think a move will happen? If it does, will it prove to be a bold but correct decision by Rowley or an absolute disaster? Or somewhere in between. Only a Sith deals in absolutes, after all. Tee off in the comments.

McDonald Arrives - Do You Want Tries With That?

Saints' 2026 recruitment has been something of a slow burn. Only back rower Jacob Host was added before the dying embers of the uninspiring Paul Wellens' reign finally burned themselves out. 

It's been a different picture since Paul Rowley took over from Wellens. There will be many who already feel that the additions of David Klemmer and Jackson Hastings were worth waiting for. That argument is strengthened with the news that Papua New Guinea international centre Nene McDonald joins on a two-year deal. 

McDonald has real pedigree. If the aim of recruitment is to sign players who are better than those you already have and who will strengthen your team then Saints have nailed this one. McDonald's combination of strength, speed and flair is everything we have been missing since Kevin Naiqama left the building in 2021. Konrad Hurrell was always watchable - and his contribution significant - but it's fair to say he was different.

Where McDonald is similar - and where we might hear the faint sound of an alarm bell - is in age. Or what might euphemistically be called experience. McDonald is 31 which is around the same age that both Naiqama and Hurrell were when they arrived. He's a short term fix but so was Jamie Lyon. For now McDonald still retains the pace, power and skill needed to do the job at this level.

So about that pedigree. McDonald is a veteran of almost 100 NRL appearances, 54 appearances across spells with Leeds Rhinos and Salford Red Devils and 22 for the PNG Kumuls. He also played a big part in helping Leigh win promotion into Super League from the Championship in 2022. He's long been the subject of excited transfer chatter on the journey to and from the stadium on match days and on social media. We're getting what we want. 

A lot of fans will have noticed his prowess during battles with a Salford side that was among the league's most exciting under Rowley before financial Armageddon took hold. Many of us looked on in envy at the partnership between McDonald and Tim Lafai. The contrast between their willingness to play more expansively and our devotion to 'sticking to the process' was stark. More often than not Saints won those battles but I can't be the only one who found the style in which we achieved it fairly joyless. 

All good so far. And I hate to poop the party but here's my reservation. Saints will be McDonald's 10th club in an 11-year career since making his debut for Sydney Roosters in 2014. We only need him to last for two seasons at this stage but it should be pointed out in the interests of cool-your-jets-ery that he has only managed to complete back to back seasons at one club four times in his career. 

He's never been at any club for more than two seasons. It's a miracle he hasn't used the international board's farcical eligibility rules to get himself a move out of Papua New Guinea too. He might reasonably be described as restless. He packs a light suitcase. Objectively he's a slight gamble even if he brings his A-game. Especially if he brings his A-game as that would make the impact harsher if he doesn't see out his contract. 

But let's be optimistic and assume he doesn't get ants in his pants and engineer a move to Hull FC.  His presence shakes up a three-quarter corps that has been badly in need of it. Suddenly there are options for Rowley that are not just viable but attractive. The pairing of Harry Robertson and Mark Percival were barely challenged last season but now the dynamics change. There are realistic scenarios in which neither make the first 13, at least not in the centres.

Percival has been an automatic starter virtually since his competitive debut in March 2013. But for injuries he would have made many more than his 266 first team appearances. Yet it might be time to revisit that. To have one of those honest conversations beloved of Wellens. 

As each year has passed - and with the last two head coaches implementing systems which regard outside backs as battering rams - his effectiveness has dwindled. In 23 appearances last term he crossed for only six tries. Across his Saints career he's a one in two man.

Perhaps Tristan Sailor holds the key. If he is to be given another opportunity at stand-off alongside new halfback Hastings then that leaves Percival, McDonald and Harry Robertson contesting two centre spots. Throw in Deon Cross and Owen Dagnall too. It's not a massive leap to imagine that Percival could be among those watching from the sidelines. 

If Sailor doesn't convince Rowley that the number on his back should identify his position then Percival's chances increase. In that scenario Rowley would likely be making the move that many fans advocate. Namely moving Robertson out of the centres and up alongside Hastings. 

That would leave Cross and Dagnall as Percival's main competition to partner McDonald. Considering winger Lewis Murphy's miserable fitness record both Dagnall and Cross are likely to fill in on the flank at various stages of the season. So even if he is no longer first choice it's easy to see Percival racking up more appearances. It's a nice problem to have for Rowley and we can rest assured that sentiment won't form part of his logic.

This veritable smorgasbord of options should ensure that barring a horrific injury crisis we won't see Matt Whitley filling in at centre going forward. The ex-Widnes and Catalans man hasn't let anybody down there - especially given the restrictions placed on the position by Wellens' adaptation of Woolfball - but he's going to be of more value in the back row. It's uncertain whether he will still nail down a regular starting slot. Host will expect to get minutes on the field. But Whitley will be a handy interchange at worst. 

With the ex-Salford coach now at the helm at The Brewdog our recruitment does have a flavour of getting the band back together. McDonald is the fourth former Red Devil to sign a permanent contract with Saints since Rowley's arrival. 

He follows Shane Wright, Joe Shorrocks and Hastings while Cross was already in the building. Yet it would be unfair to suggest that Rowley is turning Saints into anything like the basket case that his old club were in 2025. You won't convince me about Shorrocks but all of the others are exciting acquisitions who should add value. Overall - and paraphrasing Brian Clough's old maxim about not playing on paper - Saints look a stronger proposition now than they did 12 months ago. 

We will see if these moves - and especially the arrival of McDonald - really were worth the wait.

Hasting Arrives - Let The Battle To Partner Him Commence

Totally ignoring my piece last week about their recruitment for 2026, Saints have made another significant move with the arrival of Jackson Hastings. 

The halfback - who will turn 30 before the new season gets underway - joins from Newcastle Knights after four seasons in the NRL. Yet it's his performances for Salford Red Devils and Wigan Warriors prior to 2022 which fans in this hemisphere will remember most. And which we must hope he can replicate in the red vee. 

Hastings is a Steve Prescott Man Of Steel winner. That year - 2019 - he also led Salford to their only Super League Grand Final. He was on the losing side as Saints triumphed 23-6 at the start of their run of four Super League titles in a row. A year later he suffered the same fate at Wigan. Jack Welsby's glorious and frankly jaw-dropping late score lifted some of the Covid gloom but left Hastings empty handed once more.

Hastings possesses a number of qualities which have been sorely lacking for Saints in recent years. He can organise, has a good kicking game and the skills to take risks in possession and see them come off. It feels like an eternity since we've had the latter two in particular. 

Remember how excited some fans got about Moses Mbye's ability to hoist a bomb? And if you're looking for a 7 who didn't mind taking on the line and managed it quite effectively you might have to go back to 2013-14 and a pre-ankle knack Luke Walsh.

However there are caveats. Whenever a player comes to Super League from the NRL there are caveats. They wouldn't be coming if everything was going swimmingly down under. Hastings made only five appearances in his final season with the Knights. He was largely frozen out by Head Coach Adam O'Brien. 

The hope here is that players deemed not good enough for a poor NRL side can still be good enough for a top Super League team. That may ring true, but it might be fanciful to expect Salford era Hastings to rock up to the Brewdog. Yet we have often seen players considered past their best in the NRL become cult heroes in Super League. Lachlan Coote and Kevin Naiqama confounded early skepticism to become pivotal to Saints' success.

Hastings finds himself among our number now. But his acquisition looks to have crowded an already congested halfback group. Head Coach Paul Rowley might have a plan. And he won't have acquired an NRL half to see him sit in the stand. But with Jonny Lomax, Tristan Sailor, George Whitby, Jack Welsby and Harry Robertson all in the frame for two halfback and one fullback slot, there's some options on the table to discuss.

On the subject of players maybe not reaching earlier heights the capture of Hastings throws up questions about the future of Lomax. Fans have long been calling for the skipper to be replaced as his ageing, battered body prevents him from contributing to anything like his peak level. 

It almost happened last season. Paul Wellens benched his captain at Magic Weekend, only to view the 17-4 defeat to Leeds as evidence that he needed him. He was never nudged out of the 17 for the rest of the season. Meanwhile Whitby - who had been enjoying a run of form since being introduced to the side - did not feature in the first team after the middle of July. 

Lomax is 35 now and entering the final year of his contract. It's possible that new boss Rowley will be less sentimental about him than we might have expected his old teammate Wellens to be. It's equally possible that Lomax - a club legend weighed down with winners' medals in a 378-game Saints career - will be allowed to bow out on his own terms. There's precedent. Few would argue now that James Roby was relied on for a season or two longer than was good for anyone.

It's not only the older citizens who may be impacted. If Whitby seemed a little marginalised by Wellens last term he now looks even further away from a starting spot. But he's 19 years old. If he's good enough his time should still come. Another season on loan won't please him but it will get him valuable experience above youth or reserve level. Or Rowley might keep him around as cover and to gain experience occasionally while others rest for a week.

The counter argument to that is that he needs more first team experience now to prevent him from stagnating. After all, he had begun to establish himself until Wellens had a change of heart and sent him to Halifax. 

It's true that first team experience could help him learn and develop quicker. Yet those who fiercely advocate it are usually the most scathing when inexperience starts to get expensive for the team. There were howls for Lewis Dodd to be included long before Kristian Woolf let him loose. 

Twelve months later the idea that Dodd wasn't all that after all was ubiquitous among the fan base. Few tears were shed when he made the implausible move to South Sydney. Hastings' deal is only for one year at this stage. The timing could be perfect for Whitby if neither Hastings or Lomax are around in 2027.

It's reasonable to assume that a fair chunk of salary cap money is finding its way into the pocket of Tristan Sailor. He arrived from Brisbane at the start of 2025 amid some fanfare. But he's not convinced everyone of his value. I am personally an advocate for his inclusion in the side because he has pace, the one commodity we were pitifully short of throughout the Wellens tenure. But where does he fit in? 

He has never convinced as a genuine 6 and was shunted around by Wellens. He played a lot of fullback when Welsby was out injured, but was often shoehorned onto the wing when Saints' talisman returned. Rowley may be tempted to try him again at stand-off now that he'll be playing alongside a more rounded and experienced halfback. There are plenty of stand-offs who are predominantly ball runners, not ball handlers. We may no longer need Sailor to morph into Sean Long. 

Some would leave Sailor in the wilderness until his contract expires. Or try and get someone else in to replace him on the cap if not directly on the field. We could use a quality centre. Indeed there has been talk of Jake Averillo arriving from Woolf's Dolphins. To which it is tempting to respond that the 25 year-old is the wrong centre to sign from that club. But if that doesn't happen or Sailor is retained anyway he could still be an important figure for Rowley.

If a starting centre arrives then there will likely be a change of circumstances for Harry Robertson. The 21 year-old academy product could be moved to stand-off. Many people - among them highly decorated former Man of Steel turned Sky Sports pundit Sam Tomkins - believe stand-off is his best position. Tomkins went so far as to say that Robertson is 'wasted' at centre.

Ignoring the paranoid conspiracy theory that Wigan legend Tomkins might not want what's best for Saints, he's probably someone worth listening to. It takes one to know one, they say. A great stand-off, that is. But if Sailor stays and is given a shot at 6 and then Averillo turns up Robertson could yet be the odd man out. Yet if Averillo's arrival is dependent on Sailor's premature exit then Robertson becomes the prime candidate to play alongside Hastings in the halves. 

You can like these permutations or not but you would have to agree that the halfback combination looks like being stronger than it was when it was occupied by Mbye. A minor gripe might be that a one-year deal doesn't show massive faith in the new man. It's not evidence of long term thinking. But it may just be something which ultimately protects both parties. 

Quite what happens if none of Hastings, Lomax nor Sailor are around in 2027 is another question. The popular solution is to combine Robertson with Whitby in a youthful and dynamic partnership. But even they will need backup options. Saints could still find themselves halfback shopping again this time next year.

I think we have seen that there are risks to bringing in a 30 year-old who has lost his way in recent seasons, albeit in a tougher environment. But we have also covered the potential benefits. The options it gives to Rowley in the halves and the potential for those already at the club to improve. 

Many of us are already more optimistic than at this time last year. Or at any time during 2025 when only the real happy clappers insisted we could compete with the top sides.

What do you think of the acquisition of Hastings? Does an exciting new season await or is it an ex-Salford character too far. Let me know...

Saints 2026 - Brave New World Or Low Budget Supermarket Sweep

It hasn't taken long for transformation at Saints. Yet much of it has not gone to plan. Kristian Woolf left in 2022 and with him went the aura that had come from dominating Super League for an unprecedented four seasons in a row. 

The early highlight of the 2023 World Club Challenge win at the home of Penrith Panthers was as the absolute zenith of Wellens' reign.  The remainder was as disappointing as a Moses Mbye bomb.

Saints didn't reach a final after that victory in Australia and laboured to finish fifth and sixth in 2024 and 2025. Wellens Out, we cried, not without justification. 

So in comes Paul Rowley, worker of multiple miracles at Salford but with quite the job on to bring back anything resembling an aura.

The Ashes series is barely over and the obligatory new kit hasn't been launched yet. But there is much to think about for Saints and Rowley ahead of the 2026 season. 

Saints made one acquisition for 2026 before Rowley replaced Wellens. Jacob Host came in from South Sydney Rabbitohs. More about that later. Since Rowley's appointment Saints have made a further nine recruitment and retention moves. There are arguments for and against all of them. Like the cast of a celebrity reality show, it's a mixed bag.

Back to Host. Saints needed back rowers following the departure of Morgan Knowles, James Batchelor and James Bell. Knowles has been crucial for Saints for a decade but has chosen to test himself in the NRL. So busy and influential was he that it's impossible to replace everything he brought to the team with one signing. You have to do it by committee. Less seismically a fading Batchelor and a seldom used Bell have both joined Hull FC. 

Grand Finalists as recently as 2021 the Rabbitohs languished in 14th in 2025. Host was on the bench for that 14-12 loss to the Panthers. Yet in 2025 he made only eight appearances under the stewardship of famously cranky coaching legend Wayne Bennett. Overall Host has managed 119 appearances in five seasons in red and green. 

His 2025 inactivity was partly caused by injury as well as the whims of Wayne. Yet it will be a red flag to some among the fan base. Still, it's fair to remember that Curtis Sironen had only made 66 appearances in a similar period at Manly before he arrived at Saints in 2022. And he's now a Super League Grand Final winner. His spell at Saints has coincided with the drop off in success but most would accept that he has been consistently solid in the pack. 

At 29 Host is three years younger than Sironen. He still should have plenty of fuel in the tank to make an impression on Super League. He joins on a two-year deal to the end of the 2027 season. If not wildly exciting his capture can be categorised as encouraging.

Arguably the most eye catching signing ahead of 2026 is that of prop David Klemmer from St George-Illawarra Dragons. The 31-year old has agreed a two-year deal to swap the red vee of the Dragons for ours. So at least we'll know it suits him. Klemmer has also played in the NRL for Canterbury, Newcastle and Wests Tigers. He has amassed 14 State Of Origin appearances and 19 caps for the Australian Kangaroos along the way. Nobody can say he lacks pedigree.

He's no sideline dweller either. He has been heavily involved in his only season with the Dragons. He made 22 appearances for Shane Flanagan's side who finished a place lower than the Rabbitohs in 15th. If you're worried that we're shopping at the lower end of the NRL you'd be right. But you should also remember that it is a higher standard of competition than Super League. An NRL plodder could become a Super League demigod. 

It comes down to attitude and application. If Host and Klemmer want to be at their best they'll be easily good enough. But if they don't, they won't. It's not just a case of turning up even if you are a former Kangaroo. For every David Fairleigh there's a Josh Perry. You don't know for certain which you'll get until they've had time to settle in. It's one of the intriguing things about fandom. 

So far so not disastrous, then. Saints' third signing has generated rather more negativity. Joe Shorrocks arrives from ex-Super League whipping boys Salford Red Devils. He's a prop or a loose forward. As if there's a difference. He has worked under Rowley at Salford and before that spent five seasons at that great bastion of housery, Wigan. 

The trouble is not that he's come from a crisis club from whom we have already acquired Rowley, Deon Cross and Shane Wright. Or that he has history with the nefarious Warriors. It's that he didn't earn glowing reviews at either. Which all combines to suggest that he's not a player who improves the Saints squad. 

If everyone is fit he doesn't make many fans' match day 17. Or Rowley's in all probability. The fact he has a one year deal implies that the people who recruited him aren't convinced. But they still present his signing as exciting transfer news - symptomatic of the kind of disconnect that developed between the fans and the club at the fag end of the Wellens era.

The final arrival from outside the club - not counting Shane Wright whose loan from Salford (them again) was made permanent in September - is Jacob Douglas. He's a 21 year-old winger who makes the switch from Wigan. The first question this might throw up is about why we want him if they don't. 

Described by the club's press dribble as pacy and athletic he might be one for the future. Kyle Feldt, Owen Dagnall, Lewis Senior and even Tristan Sailor look more likely wing selections at present. But there are longer term considerations. Murphy is injury prone. Feldt and Sailor are out of contract at the end of 2026. That Could be Douglas' time. But...why don't THEY want him...?

The club have been busy deciding who they want to keep as well as who they want to bring in. Chief among the list of the retained is hooker Daryl Clark. The ex-Castleford and Warrington beard wearer faced the insurmountable challenge of replacing James Roby. And before him Keiron Cunningham. Saints fans judge their number nines by a higher standard. 

The best version of Clark was around 10 years ago. But he has done a more than adequate job since becoming a Saint at the start of 2024. He'll be 33 by the start of next season but should be able to play an effective role throughout his new deal which runs to the end of 2027. Not too much to worry about here. Rowley may also be able to get a little extra out of him which Wellens couldn't.

With Mbye having said bye bye the only other hooker with any first team experience is Jake Burns. He's fairly well established having made his debut in July 2024 and made 20 appearances. He has seemingly done enough in those games to convince the hierarchy that he is worth another two years. That suggests a degree of confidence in his abilities since contracts of three or more years are becoming rare.

Though he has shown some promise there are concerns about whether he has enough talent to compensate for his lack of height. He does not have the speed of Rob Burrow. Despite his diminutive stature he was able to operate at nine for Leeds Rhinos at times. You might worry about Burns' defensive workload if he starts to play big minutes.

Burns may still develop, but he doesn't have as much time as is often perceived. At 25 he's no longer at an age when he can be viewed as potential. He has to step up immediately. Unless the plan is for Clark to consistently play 80 minutes at this late stage of his career. It's surprising that Saints haven't brought an experienced number nine in. They may still, but with other clubs also shaping their squads the options are diminishing.

Matt Whitley has been quietly effective during the three seasons he has spent with his hometown club since joining in 2023. Unlike many from the club's famed youth production line Whitley had to take the more circuitous route via Widnes Vikings and Catalans Dragons. 

He's made 52 appearances since then and has the versatility to fill in at centre. Though you could make a case that Wellens overused him there. He's predominantly a wide running back rower with good hands and a real willingness to put a defensive shift in. He's not a superstar. Not everybody can be in a salary capped sport. 

The big question mark on Whitley's new deal is that it is for three years. As already alluded to we see fewer and fewer of these. I'm not certain that he's such a lock in at that position to justify the commitment. I wouldn't blink if Sironen and Host were paired ahead of him. Add to that he turns 30 before the season starts. 

If he maintains his form and is happy to share minutes then it works. Or Rowley could go mad and use Whitley as a 13 as he's probably the most creative of the three with ball in hand. Sironen's days at stand-off are well behind him after all. 

The issue of Jake Wingfield as a Saints is becoming a thorny one. The utility forward has a one-year deal with options for 2027 and 2028 dependent on appearances. That's largely because his injury record is perceived to be worse than my sickness record at work since I started on the immunosuppressants. 

That's maybe a little hyperbolic. His 64 games in five seasons compares with Sironen's time with the Sea Eagles alluded to earlier. His 2025 season ended in August at Wakefield when an early exit from proceedings led to ankle surgery. His last appearance of 2024 was in May. So too in 2023. He's never there at the sharp end. 

None of which is his fault but that shouldn't be the only consideration when handling out first team contracts. And maybe it's just me but I don't really get Wingfield when he is available. Is he a prop? A second rower? A 13? We need one of those. But for me it is not him. I struggle to understand how he gets chances not afforded to others. Many compare him to the equally brittle Gary Wheeler. The latter had considerably more talent from my viewpoint. 

That the club have only guaranteed one year hints at their doubts. There's clearly a belief in him tempered with a rising realisation that it may never happen. It's a massive year for his career. I hope he proves me wrong. 

I don't know if Saints' recruitment and retention can be characterised as one offering spoonfuls of hope or despair. It's somewhere in between. Some of these moves are solid and can improve the team, especially under the tutelage of Rowley. Others feel risky and make you think cost cutting was at the forefront. One or two are downright disappointing. 

Yet only time will tell the tale. With three months to go before the new season kicks off there's plenty of time to ponder. What are your thoughts on the moves made?