One of St Helens’ new signings has spoken about his first few weeks at the club and shed light on how his move came about, crediting head coach Paul Rowley for setting a clear vision ahead of the move.
Joe Shorrocks has followed his former Salford boss to St Helens, joining the likes of Deon Cross and Shane Wright as former Red Devils’ players who have signed with the Red Vee, with Nene Macdonald the most recent to have signed.
Both Cross and Wright moved mid-season whilst Shorrocks made the switch to Leeds Rhinos alongside Chris Hankinson, however, the forward didn’t land a new deal at Headingley.
Instead, he followed coach Paul Rowley to St Helens where he’ll now add plenty of depth to the club’s forward pack, whilst also being a viable option out of nine after Moses Mbye’s exit.
Speaking to SaintsTV about his time with Saints so far, Shorrocks said: “I’ve loved every minute of it so far. The lads have been really welcoming.
“Settling in, I obviously know Rowls (Paul Rowley) and I’ve worked with Briersy (Lee Briers) before but I’ve loved every minute so far.”
Shorrocks setting in well at St Helens
That familiarity will surely help Shorrocks hit the ground running and he made that argument himself, speaking on how he has “settled in” and made “good connections already”.
The 26-year-old said: “It was good because, like you say, I knew some of the lads from other clubs I’ve been at previous so I’ve settled in really well.
“I’m getting along really well with the lads and I’ve made some good connections already.”
Shorrocks, a former Wigan Warriors academy player, joined Salford and Paul Rowley in 2024, going on to make 44 appearances at the club.
That familiarity of playstyle as well as a conversation in the off-season helped convince Shorrocks that a switch to St Helens was the right move for him.
He explained: “Yeah, I spoke to Rowls before I signed and had a real clear picture on what he wanted from me and what I was expecting to do coming into the club.
“I feel like my role is really clear in my head and I feel like his style of play suits my game.”
Handed the number 22 shirt for the 2026 season, Shorrocks may have to fight his way up the depth chart but he will likely be staking his claim to try and replace Morgan Knowles in the loose forward role with other candidates being David Klemmer, Jake Wingfield, and possibly even Jackson Hastings.
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