Matty Foster and Sam Royle extend Saints deals

Saints Academy graduates Matty Foster and Sam Royle have signed one year deals at the Club which will take them into the 2022 season.

A second-row forward signed from Blackbrook, Foster has progressed through the scholarship programme and has represented England at U16s level alongside Jack Welsby and Josh Simm, as well as the Lancashire Academy.

Foster was given a first team squad number for 2020 and made his debut off the bench against Salford and this season has impressed in a number of loan spells at Leigh Centurions.

He recently broke his jaw on the opening weekend of Super League while on loan at Leigh and has unfortunately been ruled out again for a long period after injuring his Anterior Cruciate Ligament which requires surgery.

Sam is a second row from Thatto Heath who he played for from the age of 11. He signed for Saints Scholarship shortly after and progressed through the pathway. He won the Scholarship Player of the Year award in just his second season before moving up to the U19s.

He played for the Academy for three straight years and also represented Lancashire on three occasions against Yorkshire and the Aussie Schoolboys.

Sam, who off the field has just achieved a first in his three year degree in Bio-Chemistry, captained the side in 2019 all the way to the Grand Final. His impressive form was rewarded as he picked up the Saints U19s Player of the Year award at the club’s annual awards dinner. He made four appearances for the reserves in 2020 and will hope to debut for the Club in the near future.

Foster said: “I am trying to stay positive with my recent injury and look at the bigger picture, rebuild myself and come back bigger and stronger. It has been a mental challenge and hopefully this will be the making of me. 

“Signing this new deal gives me a big boost of confidence. The Club has my back and it gives me another opportunity next year to kick on and play for another contract. The goal is to get back, get fit and get some games under my belt, push on and see where it takes me.”

Royle said: “I am obviously very happy. I have come through the scholarship and Academy systems and this is definitely where I want to be and where I want to play.

“It has been tough I have been training and going home to complete my University work all day, but the club have been great ensuring I can combine both training and my education and now that is out of the way now and I am looking to cracking on.”

Head Coach Kristian Woolf added: “Matty has been with the first team for the past two years and has had a real tough time recently with injuries, but he has handled that adversity really well and it shows what a positive mindset he has. Sam has been with us for the past 18 months and is very intelligent.

“They are both terrific people who carry themselves extremely well. They have had a tough few years having not being able to play much footy but have both shown great discipline in how they train. They have really impressed me with their positive attitude and how they have carried themselves and handled that. 

“Their work ethic and what they have shown me is they have the ability to handle Super League and can develop into first grade players. We hope to give them some more time to develop over the coming seasons.”

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