Matty Lees

Our Captain leads from the front and sets the Saints’ standards. ©️

Playing his amateur rugby at Rochdale Mayfield and joined the club at the age of 16. His First Team debut followed at Wakefield in 2017, but he broke into the senior squad a year later playing 19 times for Justin Holbrook’s side.

Matty went from strength to strength in 2019, playing long and impressive minutes in the forward pack. He was named Super League’s Young Player of the Year and also took away the same award at the Saints Awards Dinner.

Unfortunately, his season was cut short, and he missed out on the Wembley Challenge Cup Final and Super League Grand Final after he perforated a bowel against Leeds Rhinos. Wayne Bennett had confirmed he would have been called up for Great Britain had he not picked up the injury.

Lees recovered from his injury in 2020 and was often utilised as a starting prop, playing 20 times in total as he picked up his second Grand Final ring.

Matty was a regular in 2021, and his performances helped Saints win a third Super League Grand Final in a row and a first Challenge Cup for 13 years!

No longer a prospect but an outright star prop, Lees has grown his reputation for big match minutes by a middle. A consistent performer too with his strong work rate in 2022, and his reward came on the biggest stage by scoring the opening try in the Saints’ fourth in a row Grand Final victory.

2023 began brilliantly for the Saints’ #10, laying down a marker of intent in the World Club Challenge with his first tackle, a bone-rattling collision on a Penrith Panthers man. History followed as the Red V beat the Panthers to bring home our Club’s third World Title. Throughout the 2023 and 2024 campaigns, with injuries and suspensions, Lees continued stepping up and showed he is one of the world’s best in his position.

The 2024 season has seen Lees step up in seniority for the Saints, continuing to play big minutes and lead from the front. Our pack has been depleted for the majority of the summer due to injuries; however, consistent performances in the middle by Matty further showed his importance in our team. In August, deservedly, Lees was named as the Saints Captain for the first time in our fixture at Magic Weekend against Wigan Warriors.

Following the conclusion of the regular 2024 Super League season, Lees was selected and named for the first time in the Dream Team – an annual ‘Best Of’ selection from all clubs in the competition. A fitting reward for a remarkable season by our prop, but the accolades kept coming with ‘Leesy’ picking up three awards in the Saints’ End of Season Awards Night. For all his tremendous work in the 2024 campaign, Matty was recognised with the Members’, Players’ and Player of the Year Awards.

International honours have also come for Lees, playing in the delayed Rugby League World Cup in 2022 for three matches. In 2023 Lees starting in all three games of the series whitewash over Tonga, and then in 2024 he kept his place for both the mid-season international victory over France, and the series victory over Samoa in the autumn.

At the start of the 2025 season, in big news not only for the Saints but for Super League, Matty Lees signed a long-term contract with the Club to keep him in the Red V until the 2029 season and ending interest from other clubs in both hemispheres! It was also confirmed in September 2025 that 2026 was to be Lees’ Testimonial Year, in recognition of ten seasons of service for the Saints. He would then continue to be the starting prop forward for England, starting in the front row of all three matches against Australia in the first Rugby League Ashes series for 22 years.

In the early stages of the 2026 pre-season under new Head Coach Paul Rowley in November 2025, the announcement was made that Matty Lees would be the Club Captain from the 2026 season. To be given this honour was incredibly special for Lees, who was introduced by former captain and teammate Jonny Lomax as the new skipper.