St.Helens R.F.C. is delighted to confirm that young outside back Owen Dagnall has put pen to paper on a new four-year contract, keeping him as a Saint until at least the end of the 2028 season!
Owen Dagnall is proudly sponsored by D.Hoult Joinery.
The 19-year-old outside back is a proud product of the world-renowned Saints Academy, after joining the Club at the age of 14 from community club Halton Farnworth Hornets to become one of our aspiring Under 16s players.
After impressing in the Saints Scholarship, Dagnall progressed into our Under 18s team where he enjoyed fantastic success, scoring an incredible 26 tries in 19 games in the last two Academy seasons, including a score in the 2023 Academy Grand Final in which Saints were crowned Champions.
Furthermore, when Owen has featured for our Reserves, he has continued his remarkable try-scoring efforts with seven tries from seven appearances.
Dagnall has also earned county and international selection in both 2023 and 2024. He was selected for Lancashire in the Academy Origin series in 2023, and was in the starting lineup for England Academy in both years against France.
Last summer Dagnall made the step up into the Saints’ full-time First Team environment and received his first senior squad number after selection in a 21-man squad declaration. He pushed and competed to make his Super League debut and whilst it did not happen last season it has made him even more motivated to earn his first senior appearance in the famous Red V in 2025.
Owen Dagnall shared his delight with saintsrlfc.com: “It’s a great feeling to put your mind at ease about that sort of stuff, put those distractions away, and focus on my career now and what the next four years can hold for me.
“Wello [Paul Wellens] has shown a lot of faith in me from an early age and brought me into training earlier from the Academy into the First Team system as soon as I finished my A-Level studies. That was a big factor in signing on because I know Wello, Briersy [Lee Briers] and Eamon [O’Carroll] have faith in me. I’m just looking to repay that faith for the season.”
Following the extensions of both Noah Stephens and George Delaney, Dagnall becomes the latest young Saint to ensure his long-term future will be at the Totally Wicked Stadium.
Speaking about our young players as a collective, Dagnall shared how important it is to have such a motivated group that is highly motivated to make their debuts, kick on beyond that first match, and become regular starting Saints.
“I think this year and next you will see the best of this young group of players. We’ve all played together at Academy, so we all know what it’s like to play against each other, very cohesive. I think in the next few years we’ll really see what this group has to offer.
“Being around the environment, what it’s like on a game day, it has made me hungrier to get that First Team debut.”
To finish, Owen shared his thanks to the St.Helens supporters, asking to keep that brilliant backing of the team coming in 2025 and beyond.
“Put faith in us with us young lads that have signed on. We’ve shown commitment to the Club and hopefully, you can keep giving us the great support that you bring.”
Head Coach Paul Wellens added: “I’ve known Owen since he was a young boy playing football at Rainhill United, and even then, as a kid, he was so competitive and hated losing – that is always a great sign.
“Owen has a fantastic work ethic and comes in every day wanting to improve and understands there are improvements to make in his game which we will work with him on in the next few years.
“I’m very keen to give Owen opportunities this year, but he must earn them, and there is more than enough to suggest he can more than compete at this level. Every day we continue to work together, he is eager to improve as a player and has the potential to be a permanent fixture in this St.Helens team for the long term.”
