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.
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