St Helens pair make immediate Championship loan switch

St Helens pair George Whitby and Jacob Douglas will both head to Championship side Salford RLFC on short-term loans. 

The backline duo come into immediate contention for Dave Hewitt’s side this weekend, with Salford facing Halifax Panthers on Sunday.

They are also the latest players to head to the CorpAcq Stadium, following the likes of Kieran Dixon and Riley Johnson, while Brad Dwyer has also signed a permanent deal for the rest of the season following a brief loan spell at Castleford Tigers.

St Helens pair make immediate Salford loan switch

Both men bring solid Super League experience with them to their new employers too. Half-back Whitby made his professional bow for St Helens in 2024, and has since made a further 16 appearances for the club. Five of those have also come this season, under former Salford boss Paul Rowley.

Whitby has also featured in the second tier on several occasions, enjoying a strong loan spell with Sunday’s opponents, Halifax, last season, where he made seven appearances.

Winger Douglas is yet to make his debut in the Red Vee following his off-season switch from Wigan Warriors, but made eight senior appearances for the Cherry and Whites in his time there. He also boasts further Super League experience following a recent loan spell at Huddersfield Giants, featuring four times and scoring twice.

He also gained valuable senior experiences at Whitehaven, Oldham, Bradford Bulls and Barrow Raiders across various loan stints.

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The arrival of the duo will add some further reinforcements to Salford’s squad ahead of the crunch meeting with Halifax, as they aim to bounce back from a 32-6 defeat to Widnes Vikings last time out.

Salford currently sit 16th in the Championship table, but could climb as high as 12th this weekend with a win and if results elsewhere fall their way. Halifax, though, could cut their points to just -2 with a win, after a points deduction earlier this year.

Both sides will name their extended match-day squads later this week.

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