Ahead of Thursday night's match against Catalans Dragons at the Totally Wicked Stadium, take a closer, more detailed look at the Saints' opposition.
By Bill Bates
Last weekend in the Challenge Cup Quarter Final stage Catalans Dragons were beaten by Hull KR 12-36 in their Semi Final clash with Hull KR at the LNER Stadium in York.
Both teams have had rather mixed starts to their Super League campaigns, and each have identical playing records having won five of their ten matches, for a total of 10 points; with Saints lying one place above the Catalans in 6th position on the league ladder due to a better points difference.
It is the second time Saints and Dragons have faced each other in 2025, with St Helens running out winners last time out, in a very tight encounter, at the Stade Gilbert Brutus by 14 points to 13.
Steve McNamara is the head coach of the Dragons and is the longest serving head coach in the top division. He has built a very strong and resilient squad; a squad that is capable of challenging for silverware; but, things were very different when he was appointed to his role in June 2017.
Steve McNamara has transformed the Catalans Dragons club. In 2018, just ten months after securing their top flight status, the Dragons reached their second Challenge Cup Final and made history by taking the famous old trophy out of England, for the first time, following their superb 20 points to 14 defeat of Warrington Wolves. And despite being, so far, unable to repeat this feat; successive seventh placed finishes in Super League in 2018 and 2019; and a remarkable 2020 season; when they finished in fourth position, despite all the confusion and mayhem that Covid caused, created an environment where the Catalans could make a real attempt to win the competition in 2021. And the Dragons came so close to achieving this feat. They had a magnificent campaign, in which won the League Leaders Shield, and then ended the year as Super League Grand Finalists for the very first time.
They were to face the back to back Super League Champions, St. Helens. The final was such a tense affair and was decided by two moments of pure class by, Harry Sunderland Trophy winner, Kevin Naiqama who crossed for two fine tries in a narrow 10-12 St. Helens triumph. The Catalans were so near, yet so far from being crowned Champions.
In 2022, the Dragons again reached the Play Off semi-finals for a third successive season, having ended their regular season campaign in fourth position. In 2023, their second place finish led to the Catalans ending Saints’ four year reign as champions on their route to reaching their second Super League Grand Final, in three years. Sadly though, they were beaten again. On this occasion, it was by the Wigan Warriors; by 10 points to 2, in another very close game.
Shifting focus to 2025, during the off season they made few changes to their squad:
INS AND OUTS
Nick Cotric & Elliot Whitehead (both Canberra Raiders, Aus), Luke Keary (Sydney Roosters, Aus), Tevita Pangal Jr (Dolphins, Aus), Tommy Makinson (St. Helens) and Oliver Partington (Salford Red Devils) each joined the club. Arthur Mourgue has left the club and signed for Hull KR during the season too.
Whilst Tom Davies & Michael McIlorum (both Hull KR), Tom Johnstone & Mike McMeeken (both Wakefield Trinity), Matt Ikuvalu (Wyong Roos, Aus), Manu Ma’u (Souths Sharks, Aus), Ben Lam (released) and Jarrod Wallace (retired) departed.
At their Stade Gilbert Brutus, the Catalans have beaten Leeds Rhinos 11-0, Salford Red Devils 38-10 and Wakefield Trinity 24-20, whilst tasting defeat at the hands of, Hull FC 4-24 and St Helens 13-14. On their travels, they have won at, Castleford Tigers 26-4 and Huddersfield Giants 38-18, having tasted defeat at, Warrington Wolves 12-28 and Leigh Leopards 6-34.
The Dragons were narrowly beaten at Magic Weekend by the Leigh Leopards 24-26; but they won at Halifax Panthers 14-0 and, at home, Featherstone Rovers 46-18 and Salford Red Devils 20-12 in the Challenge Cup, before losing to Hull KR, at York, by 36 points to 12 in last Saturday’s semi-final.
Since their introduction into Super League in 2006, St. Helens have played host to the Dragons on twenty four occasions. Saints have won eighteen of these matches including a, 40 points to 18, victory at the Stobart Stadium in Widnes in 2011 and a 34-6 triumph at Headingley, Leeds in 2020. At The Totally Wicked Stadium, the Catalans triumphed on their first two visits; in 2012 (the first away team to win on this ground) and 2013; and, in early in 2016 and again, in 2023. At Knowsley Road, St. Helens won five of their seven encounters including victory in two Challenge Cup ties.
👀 THREE TO WATCH
Luke Keary
Luke Keary, now aged 33, joined the Catalans Dragons, from the Sydney Roosters during the off season. An outstanding half back, he has settled in well in Perpignan and he has been an ‘ever present’ in their team, since he made his debut for the club against Hull FC back in February. Luke has scored three tries in his 13 appearances for the club.
Keary has had a magnificent career in the NRL. He originally played for the South Sydney Rabbithos, making his 1st grade debut in 2013 against the Newcastle Knights. He played with the Rabbithos for four seasons and won his first NRL Premiership in 2014. He scored 12 tries in his 63 appearances for the club before moving to the Sydney Roosters ahead of the 2017 campaign. Luke became one of the Roosters star players. He won two back to back NRL Premierships with the club, in 2018 and 2019 and back to back World Club Challenges in 2019 and 2020.
The half-back played for the Australian National Team in 2018 against New Zealand and Tonga, made three appearances for Ireland in the 2022 World Cup and also played in a State of Origin match for New South Wales 2020. He scored 36 tries and kicked 6 goals for a total of 162 points for the Roosters in his 168 appearances for the club.
Oliver Partington
Oliver Partington, aged 26 joined the Catalans Dragons ahead of the current campaign from the Salford Red Devils. An ‘ever present’ in 2025 he has made 14 appearances for the Catalans club.
Oliver began his career with the Wigan Warriors. He made his 1st grade debut though, whilst ‘on loan’ with the Swinton Lions, in Toulouse in February 2018. He played two matches for the Lions and two further games for the London Skolars, prior to making his Wigan Warriors debut in August 2018 against Castleford Tigers. Oliver was still only 19 years old. He became a 1st Team regular at Wigan, went on to play for the Warriors for five seasons; and he scored five tries in 92 appearances for the club.
In 2019, Partington was selected to play for the England Knights against Jamaica. In 2023 he joined the Salford Red Devils. Now an experienced Super League forward, Oliver enjoyed two excellent seasons with the Salford club and his reputation continued to grow. In June 2024 it was announced he would leave the Red Devils and join the Catalans in 2025. He ended his career at Salford having scored three tries in his 45 appearances with the club.
Nick Cotric
Nick Cotric, aged 26, was part of the 2025 season recruitment for the Dragons joining them on a three-year deal from NRL side Canberra Raiders.
The outside back made his professional NRL debut in 2017 at 18 years-old for Canberra, after coming through their academy. In his debut year he scored 16 tries in 24 NRL appearances, earning him the Rookie of the Year award. 2018 saw him kick on and make that wing spot his own, playing in his first Grand Final too but coming up short against Sydney Roosters. That year, he won the State of Origin competition with New South Wales’ Blues. By the end of the 2019 season he earned selection for Australia. He signed for Canterbury-Bankstow Bulldogs in 2021, playing 14 games but returned to the Raiders in 2022.
