Saints youngsters sign professional terms

St Helens have handed pro deals to seven young players.

Lewis Furlong (centre), Robert Fairclough (scrum half), Mike Weldon (second row), Josh Eaves (loose forward/hooker), Matthew Costello (full-back/centre) and Brad Billsborough (half-back/hooker) are all from the club’s scholarship programme, while Matthew Lees (prop) joins from the Bradford scholarship.

Neil Kilshaw, Saints Player Performance Manager, said: “All seven players are a credit to their community clubs, schools and the army of volunteers that have helped them in Rugby League journey so far.

“Players and coaches are excited about the potential of these players and are looking forward to the hard work ahead in trying to convert that potential into successful careers.

“The players will have a short break to refresh from a tough year before they are integrated into the under 19s squad in readiness for pre-season in November.”

Pictured: (Back Row, left to right) – Lewis Furlong, Matthew Lees, Mike Weldon, Matthew Costello. (Front Row, left to right) – Josh Eaves, Brad Billsborough, Robert Fairclough