St Helens skipper Matty Lees becomes PNG Chiefs’ first Super League signing as NRL move confirmed

St Helens captain Matty Lees has become PNG Chiefs’ first-ever signing from Super League, and will link up with the new NRL franchise ahead of the 2028 season.

Lees, now 28, has been with Saints since the age of 16: when the Super League heavyweights picked him up from local community club Rochdale Mayfield.

Progressing through the youth ranks on Merseyside to make his first-team bow in September 2017 against Wakefield Trinity, he’s now featured 199 times at senior level in their colours.

Named captain ahead of 2026 by new head coach Paul Rowley, the front-rower is currently sidelined and will miss the remainder of the campaign.

But he will return for one final season in the Red V come 2027 before making the move to Papua New Guinea ready for the Chiefs’ NRL entry at the start of 2028.

‘Sometimes in life, when an opportunity comes, you have to take it on’

Having played twice for England Knights prior, Lees earned his first cap for England in June 2022 against the Combined Nations All Stars, and has now represented his country on 14 occasions.

As his impending move to join the Chiefs was announced, he said: “The last ten years playing for this club have meant absolutely everything to me.

“This club is family. It has seen me grow from a young lad coming through the academy, making my way into the first-team, to having the honour of being named captain.

“Together, we’ve shared some incredible memories and achieved things I could only have dreamed of when I first pulled on the shirt.

“Winning Super League titles, the Challenge Cup, the World Club Challenge, and creating lifelong memories with team-mates, staff and supporters. Those are moments I’ll cherish forever.

“Sometimes in life, when an opportunity comes, you have to take it on. Playing in the NRL has been a dream of mine for a very long time, and the opportunity that has been presented to my family and me is one that I could not turn away from.

“I will forever be grateful to the club, the fans, my team-mates and everyone who has supported me throughout this journey.

“St Helens has shaped me both as a player and as a person, and I’ll always be indebted to this club for everything it has given me.

“That said, I still have another season to play here, and my focus remains on doing everything I can to help bring more success and silverware to this great club.”

‘Matty has had an ambition to play in the NRL for some time, and we respect that’

Lees’ exit come the end of next season will be the first time he has ever permanently departed the BrewDog Stadium, with the only other club he’s represented to date being Championship outfit Sheffield Eagles.

The prop donned the Eagles’ colours six times on dual-registration back in 2018, with six of his seven career tries to date scored for Saints and the other for England, racking up a total of 220 senior appearances across all competitions.

Saints’ Chairman Eamonn McManus added: ” Matty’s commitment to the St Helens first-team and its successes has been immense over the last decade.

“He has won every honour with us and will go down as a legend of the club. I’m sure that he will carry on in that vein when he recovers from injury and that he will be giving absolutely everything, as only he knows how to, in the 2027 season.

“Matty has had an ambition to play in the NRL for some time, and we respect that, particularly after so many years of putting his body on the line for us.

“He had an NRL break clause in his existing contract for 2028 and, therefore, in turn, he has shown respect to us by honouring his contractual obligations to the full.

“We will wish him and his family every success in his new adventure in Papua New Guinea when the time comes, but that is clearly some time away yet.

“There is much, much more for Matty to achieve with the Saints before then, and I’m confident that he will.

“Finally, we would like to put on record our appreciation of the professionalism and co-operation exhibited by the senior management of the PNG Chiefs in their dealings on this matter with our club.”

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