Wednesday 6 May 2020 06:17, UK
Alex Walmsley and Luke Thompson are perhaps the most feared front row in Super League. Two defence-wrecking, tackle-breaking props capable of causing havoc to any team.
But any effective forward pack needs ammunition off the bench. Step forward Matty Lees.
Lees, along with Kyle Amor, supplement the two superstars in the front row. It's a quartet any coach in Super League would be envious of.
Yet Saints boss Kristian Woolf is losing Thompson to NRL side Canterbury Bulldogs next year. A huge blow to St Helens, but in 22-year-old Lees, they have a player ready to step into his boots.
"There's no doubt in my mind that Matty Lees could fill that void next year and be our starting prop forward," Woolf said.
"He's got a bit to go before that, but it's certainly the direction he's taking."
Fellow front rower Walmsley agrees, saying: "I see a lot of similar traits between Matty and Luke. We're going to miss Thommo - he's world-class - but Matty definitely fits into the mould of replacing him.
"He's got years ahead of him. He's got fitness, he's got strength, he's got aggression and a good skillset. He has a bright future and he could be the figurehead of our pack for a long time."
Lees is the reigning Super League young player of the season and he saw off serious competition in 2019 to win the award, beating Jake Trueman, Jack Walker, Harry Newman and Morgan Smithies to secure the prize. It is recognition for his progression through the ranks at St Helens.
"What's great about Leesy is he's always willing to learn," Walmsley said. "He's always asking everyone.
"From myself to Kyle (Amor), Thommo, Robes, he's always asking and wants to be better. He's doing the extras and not just on the field, but in video and things like that to improve those little areas.
He’s always asking and wants to be better. He’s doing the extras and not just on the field, but in video and things like that to improve those little areas
"I'll probably give him some advice and most of it might not be good advice, but I'll give him some sort of advice!"
Lees made his Super League debut in 2017, coming off the bench in a tight win over Wakefield in a Super Eights game and the following season proved significant for his development.
But he started that campaign featuring for Sheffield Eagles in the Championship on dual-registration, making five appearances for Mark Aston's side.
"He wants to be the best he can be," Eagles head coach Aston said. "He's got traits of people like Adrian Morley in him, he's tough, he's uncompromising, he's powerful and he's fearless. The things he's got in his locker gives him an opportunity to become a massive star in Super League.
"He was on dual-registration with us and even when he was in the 19 (man squad) for St Helens, he still turned up at games to come and watch the boys, he really bought into it. It meant a lot to us.
"If he carries on progressing like he is doing, he'll play for England and he'll be one of the greats, there's no doubt about it."
"The big thing for me is he just needs managing over the next couple of years. We look at front rowers not finding their feet until they're 25, 26.
"Imagine what he feels like on a Monday morning. It'll be like getting out of the wreckage of a car crash, so we just need to manage him. I see a big future. He's such a great kid."
He’s got traits of people like Adrian Morley in him, he’s tough, he’s uncompromising, he’s powerful and he’s fearless.
His break at St Helens came after Walmsley's neck injury in 2018. Justin Holbrook trusted the young forward enough to make him a regular for the rest of the campaign and Lees played 19 times, including starting in the play-off semi-final defeat against Warrington.
By then, he'd forged a reputation as a big-hitter not afraid of putting himself about - just ask Taulima Tautai who got flattened in the derby. Lees then ended the year as a young player of the season nominee.
His captain, James Roby, has been impressed.
"What you see is what you get with Matty," Roby said. "He's a tough, uncompromising player. He's a little bit old school in that respect.
"He really enjoys the physical part of the game, trying to get out of the line and whack people and carrying the ball as hard as he can."
"As a young forward and a front rower, if you can do the basics well - run hard and tackle hard - then you're halfway there."
"He's got a great head on his shoulders and a good attitude. He'd be the first to admit there's a bit of improving to do, he's a young player but his performances speak for themselves and we know how lucky we are at St Helens to have a player like him."
With St Helens determined to right the wrongs of 2018, Lees was now a big part of Holbrook's squad. He was in the 17 from the off and only missed three rounds of the competition before August. A mid-season injury to Thompson even gave Lees the chance to prove what he can do from the start.
He’d be the first to admit there’s a bit of improving to do, he’s a young player but his performances speak for themselves and we know how lucky we are at St Helens to have a player like him
But with Saints flying again, their rising star had some bad luck. He perforated a bowel against Leeds Rhinos, ending his campaign with an injury the surgeons said you'd only normally see in a car crash.
"He came off visibly in pain," Roby said. "On the side-line, he was like 'give me a couple of minutes, I'll be fine, I'll get back on'.
"I wasn't playing that day. I said 'Matty you've broken your rib there definitely, you can tell'. And he was like 'no I'll be alright, I'll be alright' - and obviously it was much worse than a broken rib."
He missed the Challenge Cup final defeat to Warrington and then, significantly, the Grand Final win over Salford. That injury also ended his chances of making the Great Britain squad as well.
Lees was back fit and firing for 2020 though. He has yet to miss a game this season, also featuring in the World Club Challenge defeat to Sydney Roosters.
His new coach Woolf said Lees stood out in that game.
"I go back to the World Club Challenge, the highest level game we've played this year and the most physical game we've played," Woolf said. "It was there for everyone to see - Matty Lees threw himself into that defensive line, a very physical defensive line."
"He certainly copped some physical contact on the back of that, but he gave just as much when the opposition were running at him. I thought that was a real show of his capabilities."
He’s the not the biggest of front rowers, just under 100 kilos but he has very good leg speed and athleticism and that’s what makes him so effective with the ball
"He's the not the biggest of front rowers, just under 100 kilos but he has very good leg speed and athleticism and that's what makes him so effective with the ball."
The 2021 World Cup should be a target for Lees, despite facing fierce competition in the England front row.
He is on the radar of national team boss Shaun Wane, having been named in the England Knights Performance Squad this time around. But Lees is earning praise from all quarters, so look out for the front rower making a big impact when Super League returns.
