St Helens’ all-time greatest Super League 17 including club icons and controversial omissions
(L-R): Chris Joynt, Sean Long and Mark Percival, three of St Helens' Super League stars.
Few teams have dominated Super League for prolonged periods quite like St Helens – and with that in mind, it’s no surprise they’ve showcased some of the competition’s greatest ever players.
In the run-up to the 2026 season, we’ll be looking at every club and trying to pick their all-time greatest 17 in the Super League era – and this one was one of the toughest.
With stars from all eras of the last 30 years, here are the team we settled on..
1. Paul Wellens
Surely a straightforward one to start. Perhaps in the years to come, the spot in this team will belong to Jack Welsby but for now, it still firmly belongs to the legend that is Paul Wellens.
2. Tommy Makinson
There were some tough picks on the wing! But for our first choice, we’ve gone with a player who was instrumental in the Saints winning four in a row, and a man who has made more Super League appearances for the club than any other winger in the shape of Makinson.
And so far, we’ve got the top two Saints’ try-scorers in the summer era!
3. Jamie Lyon
A controversial one given how he was only here for two seasons – and there are some very, very good centres to pick from here! But we’re giving the nod to Lyon given the impact he had while in Super League.
4. Mark Percival
As mentioned, centre was without doubt the hardest spot to narrow down to just two that made it into this team. We were more certain with Lyon because of the sheer brilliance he provided during his two seasons in Super League but goodness, there were some contenders for position two.
Paul Newlove, Willie Talau, Matt Gidley.. there are some utterly magnificent players. But as a mainstay of the Saints’ four-peat side, we have gone with Percival.
5. Ade Gardner
The likes of Anthony Sullivan and Regan Grace would be in the conversation, but it’s Gardner who gets our pick. Sullivan in particular spent a fair chunk of his time with the club in the years before Super League, so we’re just giving Gardner the nod.
6. Jonny Lomax
There were a few options at stand-off. Theo Fages, Tommy Martyn, Leon Pryce were all contenders – but Lomax has been a proven performer – and winner – for the Saints for a long, long time. One of their very best servants of the modern era.
7. Sean Long
No debating here, surely?
8. Alex Walmsley
The Saints have been blessed with some superb forwards in the summer era. Look at the likes of Maurie Fa’asavalu, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Matty Lees as examples – they didn’t make the cut. But Walmsley does after the service he’s given the Saints for so long.
9. James Roby
Without doubt the hardest pick of the lot as you’d imagine! They obviously both make the 17 but it’s James Roby who starts, and Keiron Cunningham who drops onto the bench. But there wasn’t much in it.
10. James Graham
Multiple trophies and hundreds of outstanding games across two spells. While there was some debate to be had over the prop forwards.. you’d be hard pushed to leave James Graham out of a team like this, surely.
11. Chris Joynt
Into the back row where again, there were some tough picks. The likes of Lee Gilmour were definitely in contention but we’ve gone with one stalwart of the early years in Joynt..
12. Jon Wilkin
..and a mainstay of their golden era of the 2000s in Wilkin.
13. Paul Sculthorpe
One of the Saints’ greatest ever captains takes the final spot in the starting 13 – and while Morgan Knowles has been an unbelievable servant for the club, there’s probably not much debate who should take the loose forward shirt in Sculthorpe.
