Analysing St Helens’ contract situation after quartet commit futures beyond 2025

St Helens have capped off a busy week of retention by announcing that Harry Robertson has become the latest young star to agree a new long-term contract with the club.

Robertson, who burst onto the scene last season in impressive fashion, has agreed a new three-year contract extension that will keep him at the Saints until at least the end of the 2028 season.

It caps off a busy – and arguably mixed – week on the contract front for the Saints. George Whitby, Noah Stephens and Owen Dagnall have all also committed their futures to the club – but reports from All Out Rugby League suggest that Jonny Vaughan and Dayon Sambou will be heading to Wigan in 2026.

Furthermore, there is growing speculation star forward Morgan Knowles will also leave the club at the end of this season, having reportedly agreed a deal to reunite with Kristian Woolf at the Dolphins in 2026.

Taking all of that news into consideration, there is still plenty of contract work for the club to get through going into 2026 and beyond.

Ten more Saints players are going into the final year of their contracts, though some of those do have contract extensions, Love Rugby League understands.

It would be sensible to start with those. Matty Lees has a one-year extension in the club’s favour, which you would almost certainly assume is going to be triggered by the Saints. Given how they are already likely to lose Knowles, losing another figurehead of their pack would be a major blow.

Stephens did have an option, but he’s now signed long-term. While Jake Wingfield also has an option which will be automatically triggered if he makes a set number of appearances for the Saints in 2025.

But even after that, there are still a staggering TWELVE first-team players off-contract and whose futures are uncertain. Incredibly, should the Saints be at full-strength next week, seven of those could be involved against Salford Red Devils: maybe more.

The headliners are forwards Joe Batchelor and Matt Whitley who, like Lees, are two players you would assume the Saints are well down the line with looking to retain long-term.

FIVE of their seven quota players are also off-contract later this year, and that is an area where you could envisage a changing of the guard somewhat. James Bell, Moses Mbye, Agnatius Paasi, Curtis Sironen and Konrad Hurrell have all given the Saints impressive service, but it’s not difficult to envisage some of those leaving later this year.

That leaves five more first-team squad members who appear to have mixed futures. The Saints handed Jon Bennison a new deal for 2025 but he looks to be behind Lewis Murphy and Kyle Feldt in the pecking order on the wing. A capable fullback too, you could argue Bennison may well be behind the aforementioned Robertson as well, too.

Ben Davies is another who you feel would need a big year to land a new deal with the club. Jake Burns’ breakthrough in 2024 was a bright spot for the Saints; he would likely be given a new deal at this stage.

Then two youngsters in Leon Cowen and Will Roberts have less than a year to go. Roberts, in particular, is a player the Saints have high hopes for.

But the news of Vaughan and Sambou’s potential departures has shown that other clubs are looking at the Saints, and are not afraid to pluck their burgeoning talent.

You would expect decisions to be made on some of those players sooner, rather than later.

St Helens off-contract 2025 list

Re-signed: George Whitby, Harry Robertson, Noah Stephens, Owen Dagnall.

Rumoured to be leaving: Morgan Knowles (Dolphins), Jonny Vaughan (Wigan), Dayon Sambou (Wigan).

Option for 2026: Jake Wingfield (based on appearances), Matty Lees (in club’s favour).

Uncertain: Joe Batchelor, James Bell, Jon Bennison, Jake Burns, Leon Cowen, Ben Davies, Konrad Hurrell, Moses Mbye, Agnatius Paasi, Will Roberts, Curtis Sironen, Matt Whitley.