After a long career and playing for many different clubs, Maltese international Jarrod Sammut is still as enthusiastic about the game as ever, writes MARC BAZELEY.
THE term ‘journeyman’ was seemingly invented to describe Jarrod Sammut, although by no means in the pejorative sense it is often used.
A professional career which began with Penrith Panthers and has taken in stops in North Wales, London, Cumbria, Lancashire, Yorkshire – including return trips to some of those places – has now arrived at its 11th individual destination of Keighley for the 2025 Betfred League One season.
Maverick Malta international Sammut has left a mark nearly everywhere he has been since arriving on these shores from Penrith Panthers in 2010 and while he admits he wished he could have stayed longer in some places, the halfback accepts the path of a professional rugby league player rarely runs smoothly.
“We’ve got a good life and we’ve got some good friends and family here,” Sammut told Rugby League World. “At the same time, with rugby league, as soon as you go into a playing group there’s a support base and a sense of family, and everyone is pretty welcoming.
“There were probably one or two clubs I would have liked to have stayed at longer or seen my career out at, but that’s rugby league.
“Not everything goes as planned or as expected, but at the same time the game is the winner. You do what you do because you love it, not because of what it offers you.
“That’s the game. You live and die by the sword, you ride the highs as much as you do the lows, and if you’re fortunate enough to carry on the next week you’re pretty lucky.”
The one constant for Sammut since arriving in the UK is that he and his young family are firmly settled in Cleckheaton, where he combines labouring and security work with playing for Keighley Cougars after being tempted to sign by head coach Jake Webster barely a week before they played in the Betfred Challenge Cup.
The 38-year-old is used to whirlwind starts though. Indeed, his first game in this country saw him make a try-scoring debut for Crusaders at Super League’s Magic Weekend in Edinburgh barely 24 hours after landing in the UK, when his flight from Australia was delayed by a volcanic ash cloud and plane problems.
Although he envisaged returning to his homeland one day, Sammut instead embarked on a somewhat nomadic career around rugby league’s British heartland and its outposts, sometimes just for the odd game on loan or a short-term move, and never staying anywhere for more than two seasons.
He has no regrets though and has always tried to leave a positive mark on the squad wherever he has been, particularly with the up-and-coming players now he has plenty of experience to pass on.
“To think when I started, even as a young kid, to have the career I’ve had, a lot of people would only dream of it,” Sammut said.
“At the same time, I’ve been very fortunate and lucky, but I hold myself in a high regard as to looking after myself to utmost professional standards and making sure my team get the best out of me come gameday.
“I try to instil that level of professionalism within my teammates and the younger generation.
“For the kids coming through, they’ve got it quite easy compared to how it was 15 or 20 years ago with how the game has developed, so it’s trying to instil those disciplines and traits into them to say at any moment it can be taken away from them, so this is privilege to play the game.”
There are plenty of supporters who he has made an impression on too, becoming something of a cult hero thanks to his instinctive style of play and ability to conjure up moments of magic.
But as far as Sammut his concerned, there is more to becoming a fan favourite than just what he does on the field.
“You could look at it in a sense they like my style of play and the flair I bring to the game and unpredictability,” Sammut said. “At the same time, I’d like to think I’m a decent person, I take the time out and I speak to everyone.
“We share stories and they tell me about how their family have been supporters of the club for 50 or 60 years and have gone through maybe three or four generations.
“Fans love to have that contact and share conversations and stories with their current players. They have a sense of a lot of closeness and understanding, and I think that goes far beyond the playing style or the player.
“I think that’s in my favour, probably more so than how I play the game.”
At 38, Sammut is fully aware his playing career is drawing to a close and is already thinking about life after playing, not just as far as the day job but also in terms of mentoring or coaching younger players – something he was hoping to continue at Bradford, having ended the 2024 season back at Odsal over a decade after he last pulled on a Bulls shirt.
But his passion for playing rugby league burns as bright as it ever did and the ambition in what is an initial one-year deal with Keighley is to help the Cougars earn promotion back to the Betfred Championship.
Having enjoyed a successful promotion campaign with London Broncos in 2018, when they stunned Toronto Wolfpack in the Million Pound Game to reach Super League, he knows it will not be easy for Keighley.
But if they do manage to earn a place in the second tier for 2026, that might be enough to persuade him to go round at least one more time.
“I still love the game as much as I did when I first laced a pair of boots up when I was three years old,” Sammut said.
“For me, it’s a matter of how well the body is holding up as well as looking at family time.
“For us, we want to turn a legacy over at Keighley and give the players who are going to come after us something to strive for and continue on.
“At the same time, we just want to enjoy the process.”
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 506 (March 2025)
