Agnatius Paasi is heading to the Championship, with the St Helens forward heading to a new club on loan.
Paasi, the veteran forward who played a key role in St Helens’ Grand Final success in the previous years, has yet to feature for Saints in Super League under Paul Rowley and he is now set to earn some match fitness in the second tier after making the move to Salford Red Devils on a short-term loan.
He is one of two players heading from Saints to Salford, with youngster Harry Braddish also in the mix for Salford ahead of their trip to Workington Town this weekend.
Salford also have four players at their disposal from Wigan Warriors for the trip, with Lukas Mason, Dayon Sambou, George O’Loughlin and Jonny Vaughan also returning to feature in Mike Grady’s squad this week.
The Reds have one win on the board so far after defeating Hunslet last month, but are coming off the back of a 78-8 loss to Doncaster last time out. They are 17th in the Championship table after four games, with one win and three defeats.
As for Paasi, it will be his first game outside the top-flights of rugby league since 2018, when he played in the New South Wales Cup. Since joining St Helens in 2021, he has made 108 appearances for the club, scoring eight tries, and was a regular last season after making 27 appearances in all competitions.
But he is set for a change of scenery, albeit temporarily, this week, linking up with the Reds for their trip to Cumbria.
Paasi was not named in the 21-man squad for Saints’ game against Bradford Bulls this weekend, despite both Alex Walmsley and Matty Lees being currently unavailable due to injury. David Klemmer, George Delaney and Noah Stephens are among those currently above Paasi in the pecking order, alongside Jake Wingfield.