Mark Percival is facing a race against the clock to feature for St Helens in Friday night’s Super League season opener away at Warrington Wolves.

Club legend Percival is now into the final year of his Saints contract and is believed to be on his way out of the exit door come the end of the year, as first reported by LoveRugbyLeague.

That exit has come on the back of Saints pulling out of a two-year deal tabled the centre’s way over fitness concerns, with the veteran having had surgery on his ankle in the off-season.

The 31-year-old missed a large chunk of action at the back end of the 2025 campaign through a foot-related issue, and may now miss the start of the 2026 season through injury too.

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St Helens coach issues Mark Percival update ahead of Super League opener

Saints – who beat Championship outfit Workington Town 98-2 in the Challenge Cup Third Round last weekend – travel to the Halliwell Jones Stadium on Friday night, with that game marking the start of a new era in Super League under Paul Rowley.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday afternoon, head coach Rowley issued an update on Percival.

He explained: “(Curtis) Sironen, (Mark) Percival and (Noah) Stephens, none of them were fit last week, that’s why they didn’t play.

“Some may make this week, and some won’t. But whatever it looks like come match day, it’ll be a strong team.

“He (Percival) is not far off, but he’s in that group of players that have just been carrying slight knocks or getting to the end of their rehab following post-season operations.

“I’m not sure about this week, it might come too soon for him, but we’re looking forward to having him back in contention.”

Elsewhere, Rowley confirmed the news of skipper Matty Lees’ long-term absence due to a knee injury, as reported earlier this week by LoveRugbyLeague.

The Saints  detailed: “We’re still waiting on a specialist appointment he’s got to go to, but he’ll be out for several weeks.

“He won’t require an operation, that’s the positive, it’s just a lengthy rehab process he’ll need to go through when we’ve got some clarity from the surgeon.

“He’ll have a reset and come back in Round 10 or 11 as a brand new all signing, all dancing Matty Lees.”