ST HELENS have continued the good news with another young player, George Whitby, penning a new four-year deal.
After Owen Dagnall and Noah Stephens have signed new long-term deals, the time has come for Whitby to do the same.
A lifelong supporter of St Helens, 18-year-old Whitby is a product of the Saints academy having come through both the club’s under-16 and under-18s development programmes before joining the first-team full-time in the summer of 2024.
The former Blackbrook Royals junior played a significant role in the Saints academy in the last two years, which has included the 2023 Academy Championship title victory, and in 2024 he was appointed captain of the team.
Whitby also earned representative honours as in July 2024 Paul Anderson chose him to be the England Academy Captain for a mid-season international against France.
Whitby said: “It’s a huge honour and privilege to represent this club for four more years. I’ve loved the journey so far and I’m just really happy to keep learning and keep progressing as a young player. I’m really happy that I’ve managed to secure my place here.
“The transition is a lot easier when you have young players of a similar age coming through the system as well. It makes you hungry to go and prove a point. That is the aims of all the young lads. In Pre-Season we’ve been together as a group, that friendship has always been there, and it’s helped us come to the other side and ready to make a stand for ourselves.”
Saints head coach Paul Wellens said: “George lives and breathes rugby league. I think he is one of the few players in sport that when he has a day off, he’s disappointed, but that’s just George in a nutshell. He is always wanting to improve, and he feels that our environment at Saints is a place where he can improve, which is hugely pleasing.
“He is a very likeable character, laid back but always willing to learn. George has a really great temperament, which is always a good sign for a scrum-half. You only have to look at the friendly against Salford earlier this year, he came on and made an impact in a positive way. A small sign of what George is capable of.
“He has a huge future ahead of him in the game, he just needs to continue working hard and apply himself as he has been doing.”