Puletua confirms Saints exit

James Gordon

Tony Puletua has confirmed he will leave St Helens at the end of the season to join Salford.

Puletua, 34, announced his departure on his Twitter page, following newspaper reports that he had signed a two-year deal with the City Reds for 2014.

He tweeted: “To all the Saints fans. Thank you so much for the support over the years here at this great club. It’s been an honor! (sic)

“I apologise about the announcement coming out in the papers before I said anything. It’s not how I wanted it to happen.”

The former New Zealand international, who is likely to play for Samoa in the World Cup at the end of the year, is in his fifth year with Saints, having joined from Penrith for the 2009 season.

He has made 130 appearances for the club, scoring 40 tries, and will follow team-mate Francis Meli to the Salford City Stadium.