St.Helens R.F.C. is delighted to confirm that England international, and proud product of the Saints Academy, Matty Lees has agreed to a new four-year contract extension with the Club, ensuring that Lees will remain a Saints player until at least the end of the 2029 season!
Matty Lees is proudly sponsored by LWC Drinks.
This fantastic news of Lees’ extension with the Saints ends any speculation of a future away from our club, with St.Helens seeing off several interested parties, from both hemispheres, for his services.
The Rochdale-born forward has been at the Club since first joining our Academy at the age of 16 and was one of our 2015 Australia Academy Tourists. After impressing in our youth ranks in September 2017 Lees made his official St.Helens and Super League debut in an away fixture at Wakefield.
In the following two seasons, Matty began establishing himself as a future key forward for the Saints. In 2019, his performances were so impressive he was issued Super League’s Young Player of the Year Award, despite having his season cut short due to a very serious bowel injury.
The star prop has recently turned 27 years of age, meaning in his position it is likely that his best years are still to come, however, he has truly enjoyed some big days for the Saints so far, with the plan of more to come.
Lees has been an integral player across the Saints’ Super League title-winning years from 2019 to 2022, with a Challenge Cup in 2021 and World Club Challenge in 2023 added to his record too. This success and his performances to match have firmly established Lees as one of the world’s best in his position.
In 2024 Lees stepped up and showed leadership too with a number of our players missing portions of the season due to injury. He was given the honour of leading out the Saints as captain in the summer against Wigan Warriors, which meant a lot to the Saints Academy product. He ended last year with his first-ever inclusion in Super League’s annual ‘best of’ selection – the Dream Team. Deservedly, Matty at the Club’s 2024 End of Season Awards took home three prizes, winning the Members’, Players’, and Player of the Year Awards.
Since making his official England debut in 2022, Lees has played nine times for his country, starting in seven of those, including all three games of the series whitewash over Tonga in 2023, and last autumn’s victories over Samoa.
To date, Matty Lees has played 166 times for St.Helens and has just begun his ninth season in the famous Red V kit, knowing that a further five years are now locked in.
Matty Lees shared his joy to extend his contract with the Saints, saying: “I’m really excited, this is such a great club and I’ve got lots of great memories here over the last few years. We’ve probably struggled the last couple of years but the memories I have at this club are unbelievable and I want to try and carry that on.
“I want to try and get us back on track, that’s a real focus of mine and the next big challenge for me as a leader in this team. I want to try and put my mark on it now and really hold our own.”
Lees will go into his tenth season as a St.Helens First Team player in 2026, and after penning his four-year extension he reflected on his personal story so far as a Saint.
“It’s a scary thought that I’m coming up to ten years at the club next year. – it’s gone so fast! The journey it has taken me on, all the injuries, all the silverware we’ve won, and all the special memories I have with the different groups that have come through in those ten years. I’m looking forward to the next few years now.”
Our club demands success, and after two seasons without a domestic trophy Lees is determined to bring back trophies to the Totally Wicked Stadium.
“I want to win silverware, that’s what everybody wants out of this club. Especially for the new players, for them to experience what it’s like winning, it’s a great feeling and I very much think that we can achieve this in the next few years.”
Expressing his gratitude to the Saints faithful supporters, Lees encouraged our fans to keep that backing of the team coming as we progress into the new 2025 season.
“Get behind us, I know they always do. The fans have been great over the last two years, we just need them to stick behind us and we’ll come up with something special this year, I’m sure of it.”
Head Coach Paul Wellens commented on Lees’ extension and said: “Matty has been incredible from the very first day he came into the Club, and his influence on the team has grown. Now, he is very much a leader in every sense of the word and we are delighted that Matty will continue his career with us.
“His teammates look up to him and respect him, and that will only grow moving forward. Matty is an elite player, an international-class player, and someone that I think not just people in this club but everybody can look at with the way he plays and you have to respect him for what he does on the field.
“We want to build our team around people like Matty Lees and he’s a great influence not only on the senior players but also the young players. The likes of George Delaney and Noah Stephens, young middle forwards have that role model in Matty to look up to.”
St.Helens R.F.C.’s Chairman Eamonn McManus also added: “This is a real tonic for the Saints and for Super League. It’s great news indeed, and I know that our fans will be delighted both for him and for the Club.
“Matty is now established as an international-class front rower and is approaching the peak of his powers. He is also a formidable character and will be a great mentor for our aspiring young props at St.Helens, as well as being a leading and key character in our team.
“His signing is certainly a welcome and major boost for us all.”
