Just when you thought the rugby league season was all over and you had seen quite enough of your team getting schooled for their inadequacies along comes an Ashes series.
England Coach Shaun Wane has selected a 24-man squad for the three Test series which starts at Wembley on October 25 before taking in stops at Everton’s Hil Dickinson Stadium on November 1 and Headingley on November 8.
This being a Saints-focused blog we will start with the news that five of your Saintly heroes are included in Wane’s selection. Well, five if you still class Morgan Knowles as a Saints player. Knowles and Jack Welsby are a given but there are also places for Daryl Clark, Matty Lees and Alex Walmsley.
Mark Percival’s exclusion might surprise or disappoint some Saints fans but it is hard to make a case for him. Even if he is fit, which he blatantly isn’t. Even a fully fit Percival would struggle to hold down a place ahead of blubbing sore loser Harry Newman or Burnley-born NRL Dolphin Herbie Farnworth.
Percival’s best years are sadly in the rear view mirror thanks to his use as a battering ram over the last few years. Also, he can’t pass to his left, so there’s that. Scientists have yet to get to the bottom of the reasons why he was rarely used on the right by successive Saints coaches.
Harry Robertson is arguably closer than Percival right now. The youngster has been playing at centre in Paul Wellens’ regime but many wise observers believe that his best position is at stand-off. He faces stiff competition to get into the England side in that role with the likes of Mikey Lewis and George Williams in front of him. But surely his time is coming.
In any case the inclusion of Saints’ current centre duo would have been overkill. It's fairly remarkable that a side as ordinary as Saints have been in 2025 can supply as many as five players for the national team. It suggests that Wellens presided over a team that was significantly less than the sum of its parts. And yet there were still those who wanted the club to give the former fullback another deal.
Based on their own merits you wouldn’t begrudge any of Saints’ quintet a place in the 24 but their quality has not translated to on field success under Wellens. Stodgy, tedious tactics, eccentric halfback selections and head scratching substitutions have all added up to make Saints a relative also ran this term. And to a sharp exit for Wellens.
Wane will be hoping that he can use these players to a little greater effect. It is one thing having them look good against Salford and Castleford but the Kangaroos play a different sport to the likes of those clubs.
That said it wouldn’t be a massive surprise if the starting front row was all Saints in the shape of Walmsley, Clark and Lees. Leigh’s Owen Trout and Wakefield’s Mike McMeeken look best placed to force their way in at prop with Litten very arguably a better option than 2014’s Clark.
When you consider that Grand Finalists Hull KR and Wigan and third placed Leeds Rhinos provide only three each you might think Wane has become hypersensitive about suggestions that he would favour players from his former club. Sean O’Loughlin would have been a late withdrawal anyway but Liam Marshall, Luke Thompson and Sam Walters can consider themselves pretty unfortunate. Not so much Liam Farrell or Tyler Dupree.
My own affection for Thompson ended with Paycutgate and his subsequent scoot to Canterbury. But are we really saying that he’s not preferable to clubmate Ethan Havard or Leeds Rhinos’ Mikolaj Oledzki? And would the young, dynamic Walters not have been a better bet than veteran grub John Bateman or the once great centre and now slightly plodding back rower Kallum Watkins? And if not Walters then Junior Nsemba or Canberra Raiders star Matty Nicholson.
Champions Rovers have proven that they are the best team in 2025 three times over by winning every trophy available to them. Yet they can only muster Joe Burgess, Mikey Lewis and Jez Litten in Wane’s selection. No place for Dean Hadley, Oliver Gildart, Tom Davies or even Elliot Minchella. Likewise Leeds who provide only Newman, Oledzki and Watkins.
There is the usual smattering of NRL based players. Unfortunately Victor Radley ruled himself out of contention following allegations of drug use. But Morgan Smithies was part of the Canberra team which finished top of the pile in the NRL regular season, while Kai Pearce-Paul is another ex-Wiganer who has become a regular in Australia.
AJ Brimson might be a standout in a decidedly average Gold Coast Titans side but looks to be only versatile cover here. Perhaps Wane is worried about Jack Welsby’s fitness. The Saints fullback returned to action several weeks earlier than expected but didn’t ever really look at full throttle.
Dominic Young has been in the NRL since 2021 but his move to Sydney Roosters wasn’t a high point. He was marched back to his former club Newcastle Knights earlier this year amid doubts about his ability to read the game defensively.
Finally there is 32 year-old Wests Tigers man Bateman. He has plenty of experience but his career is winding down and there were more dynamic options available to Wane such as James McDonnell of the Rhinos, Nsemba or Nicholson.
Bateman has to be among the most contentious selection although much of the attention has been on the omission of Jake Connor. The Leeds half is this year’s Steve Prescott Man Of Steel. In claiming that he did not care about the award and didn’t know how it was picked Wane showed fairly hefty disrespect.
He also made himself look a bit silly and did so further by revealing that he didn’t know who was in this year’s Super League Dream Team. As an England coach you can choose to be influenced by these things or not. But showing ignorance of them is bad optics. Norra Good Luke, Shaun.
When you look at Wane’s squad any feint optimism you may have had may evaporate. It doesn’t look a match for the Kangaroos’ pack whoever you select. And if you lose that battle the quality of your back line can become an irrelevance. So too might Wane if he can’t at least keep the games competitive.
Oh and do a bit of homework on UK rugby league awards just to help with the PR…
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