Former St Helens young gun makes rugby league return as community club confirm signing
A general view of the Totally Wicked Stadium, the home of St Helens
Former St Helens youngster McKenzie Buckley has made his return to the game, rejoining local National Conference League outfit Thatto Heath Crusaders.
Buckley played his junior rugby league at Thatto Heath before joining Saints’ youth system, where he progressed through the ranks and made a sole first-team appearance in April 2022 against Castleford Tigers.
Having been around Paul Wellens’ first-team throughout last year without ever making it onto the field, he departed at the end of 2024 after a Reserves Grand Final appearance against Wigan Warriors.
He had penned a deal with Championship outfit Widnes Vikings for 2025, but by mid-December, he’d been let go by the Chemics.
At the time, the youngster’s mum took to social media to explain that he wanted a break from the game to ‘find happiness’ having lost his love for it.
Former St Helens young gun makes rugby league return as community club confirm signing
Now, the versatile forward – able to slot into the front-row as well as the back-row – will make his return at community level back at Thatto Heath.
The Merseyside outfit announced his signing for their open age side via social media on Thursday, and Buckley has been named in the back-row for Friday night’s home clash against Salford City Roosters.
Their post on X (@ThattoRugby) announcing Buckley’s return reads: “New open age signing – McKenzie Buckley
“After a stint playing professional at St Helens, he’s returned back to us here at Thatto Heath Crusaders.
“Welcome home McKenzie ⚫️🔴”
Having turned 21 in December, Buckley has eight senior appearances on his CV in total to date.
As well as his one in a Saints shirt already mentioned, he featured six times on loan for North Wales Crusaders in 2023 and then donned a Whitehaven shirt once last year.
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