Tee Ritson ‘feeling at home’ with St Helens with future yet to be confirmed

Josh McAllister
Tee Ritson, SWPix

Picture by Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com.

Tee Ritson admits he’s feeling at home with St Helens as he continues to impress in the top flight with the hopes of landing a permanent deal.

Ritson, 27, joined Paul Wellens’ side on a season-long loan from Championship outfit Barrow ahead of the 2023 campaign, having scored 33 tries in 31 appearances last year under Paul Crarey.

He was a try-scorer in St Helens’ 30-18 victory over St George Illawarra Dragons ahead of the World Club Challenge, and marked his Super League debut with another four-pointer against Castleford at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle.

His performances have seen him start the last four games, adding to his total tally of eight appearances with two tries, becoming one of the speedsters of the game.

The Thailand-born winger will be hoping to make his move to the Totally Wicked Stadium permanent for next season and beyond, with another year currently remaining on his Barrow contract.

Tee Ritson: I’ve loved my time here

“I’ve loved every minute of it,” Ritson said. “Obviously it’s been a massive step up for me, the training and everything, I think I’ve adapted really well.

“I’ve just kept my head down, focused on this year, focused on my training, the team and stuff like that then I’m getting a good run of games now so hopefully I can continue that form.

“The team itself, they’re a great set of lads, the club’s really good, all the staff have helped me out – I couldn’t ask for anything more to be honest. I’ve loved my time here.

“This time last year I was playing in the Championship and now I’m playing for the World Club Champions in Super League.

“It’s a massive step up, the training, the intensity and stuff like that. The first couple of weeks I was pretty sore so I wasn’t used to all the training every single day!

“But I’ve adapted to it, there’s a lot of new systems and tactics, things that you need to know within the team that I’ve had to get used to.

“I feel I’ve really settled in now and feel at home at this team.”

Tee Ritson preparing for Magic Weekend debut

Ritson is preparing to make his Magic Weekend debut as St Helens face Huddersfield in the middle game on Sunday, with the event heading to Newcastle for the seventh time.

Salford and Hull KR kick-off the action inside St James’ Park on Saturday at 1:30pm, while Hull and Warrington conclude the weekend.

Ritson has previously featured in the Championship Summer Bash, having scored twice at Headingley Stadium last year in a 36-24 victory over Widnes with Barrow.

He continued: “Obviously the stadium that we’re going to be playing in this weekend is massive compared to the stadium we’ve been in at the Bash before.

“I’ve been involved in a few Summer Bashes and they’ve been great. They’re really good for the fans.

“You get a good mixture of fans there, fans who don’t usually watch you play so you can showcase what you can do.

“Obviously this is a different level, a huge stadium, a massive following from all the teams, I’m expecting the place is going to be bouncing so I’m really looking forward to it.”

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