{"id":569035,"date":"2026-05-06T10:02:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T10:02:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/569035\/"},"modified":"2026-05-06T10:02:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T10:02:19","slug":"st-helens-pressing-contract-calls-including-man-of-steel-contenders-after-latest-pair-sign-new-deals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/569035\/","title":{"rendered":"St Helens’ pressing contract calls including Man of Steel contenders after latest pair sign new deals"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

St Helens have tied down two key forwards to new deals this week but the club still have several off-contract players, including two Man of Steel contenders.<\/p>\n

Abi Ekoku has been appointed as the club\u2019s CEO, filling the position left vacant by Mike Rush stepping down earlier in the year, and the former RFL interim CEO has already helped oversee new deals for Alex Walmsley and Jake Davies, with the latter signing a two-year deal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Davies\u2019 form certainly merits that but St Helens have plenty of other off-contract players in good form, including star duo Tristan Sailor<\/a> and Jackson Hastings, both of whom could be considered to be in the Man of Steel race.<\/p>\n

That pair are two of eight players without deals for next year, whilst another player has a deal dependent on a number of appearances that are not likely to be met.<\/p>\n

With St Helens clearly in full flow as to matters off-contract, we\u2019ve looked at who could be next.<\/p>\n

Jake Connor\u2019s World Cup chances, Brian McDermott reaction & Leeds Rhinos early title favourites \u2013 Click here to watch the latest episode of the Serious About Rugby League Show<\/a><\/p>\n

St Helens\u2019 nine off-contract players<\/p>\n

Agnatius Paasi<\/p>\n

The second-oldest player on this list of off-contract players and someone who has only been utilised when injuries were at their very worst, before then succumbing to injury himself. Paasi was sent out on loan to Salford at one point and the prop will be 35 by season 2027.<\/p>\n

Jackson Hastings<\/p>\n

Perhaps one of the most important players to try and re-sign is Jackson Hastings with the former Man of Steel in contention for the award again this year, as exemplified by 15 assists in just 10 games. His influence on the team has also been seen with Paul Rowley handing him the captaincy, showcasing his value.<\/p>\n

Jake Wingfield<\/p>\n

Wingfield is not off-contract as such as there is a deal in place for the future providing he plays a certain amount of games. With his season now over through injury, the forward won\u2019t hit that threshold<\/a> but the form he was in before injury was certainly warranting a new deal.<\/p>\n

Joe Shorrocks<\/p>\n

A really smart pick-up from Salford, Shorrocks has been a strong addition and has made the 13 shirt his own despite tough shoes to fill after the departure of Morgan Knowles. It\u2019s easy to see St Helens extending this deal even if only for depth given how well-rounded the ex-Wigan man is.<\/p>\n

Jonny Lomax<\/p>\n

Injury has hampered Lomax\u2019s start to the season but he\u2019s shown how brilliant he can be with his incredible assist against Wakefield Trinity. He\u2019ll be 36 in September and his future could well hang on what St Helens are able to do regarding fellow half-back Jackson Hastings.<\/p>\n

Kyle Feldt<\/p>\n

The winger has been a brilliant addition during a period when recruitment wasn\u2019t necessarily the best at Saints. He has scored more than a try per game with 11 already racked up this season, including some spectacular finishes. He may be 34 but a new deal seems a no-brainer.<\/p>\n

Leon Cowen<\/p>\n

The 21-year-old forward has just two senior appearances for St Helens and is currently on a season-long loan out at Halifax Panthers, having previously played on loan at Swinton Lions.<\/p>\n

Lewis Murphy<\/p>\n

Another injured player on the list and one who was really finding his feet when the injury struck. The raw talent is so clear to see with Murphy, who has 11 tries in 18 at Saints, and he is still only 24.<\/p>\n

Tristan Sailor<\/p>\n

The biggest no-brainer on this list of off-contract players is Tristan Sailor, who has been exceptional so far in 2026. He was criticised at times in 2025, something Lee Briers has now said was unfair, but what he has produced in 2026 cannot possibly be faulted. Whether it\u2019s full-back, half-back or somewhere else, Sailor makes things happen and for that reason the club should try and secure him for the future.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"St Helens have tied down two key forwards to new deals this week but the club still have…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":569036,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[5903,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-569035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-rugby","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/569035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=569035"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/569035\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/569036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=569035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=569035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=569035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}