Five players of the Saints Academy were part of the Lancashire side that secured an Academy Origin series win, in the deciding game on Saturday, 19th August.
Six of our Academy St. Helens players were named in the Lancashire squad for the third and final Academy Origin match of 2023, with five of our youngsters taking to the field for the Red Rose. The Saints’ in the Lancashire line-up were; Owen Dagnall on the wing, George Whitby at stand-off, Noah Stephens as one of the prop forwards, and both back-row spots were Red V men with Jake Davies and Harvey Braddish.
Lancashire secured a 2-0 series win with a dominant display on Saturday, 44-16, following up on the series opening win at Castleford 42-20 back in April, and a 32-all draw at Hull KR in May.
Saints’ outside back Dagnall was the star on the day, scoring a three tries for his county!
Jake Davies also crossed the whitewash in the closing stages, as Lancashire romped home to victory in a one-sided second half.
Paul Anderson, Head of England Pathways, following the game said: “For players and coaches alike, it’s not so much about the result but how they all adapt to being in the England pathways environment. It’s what we all do during the week building up to the games – how we prepare, the challenges of gelling together, finding common ground, building understanding.
“Lancashire obviously did a little bit better in terms of understanding each other on the pitch, but their players were picked from fewer clubs than Yorkshire and will have played together a lot of played together at community clubs.
“Whitby and Farrimond showed some really good touches, and Dagnall certainly knows where the try line is. And there were some good individuals on the Yorkshire side too.
“This year we’ve picked more first year academy players than ever this year, as we look to develop the senior England players of the future. We’ve seen how Academy products George Delaney, Harvie Hill and Junior Nsemba have come through in 2023.”
