Alex Walmsley agrees a new contract with St Helens

St Helens prop forward Alex Walmsley has agreed a new three-and-a-half year contract at Langtree Park.

The 25-year-old has been a popular figure with the Saints supporters since his arrival at the club from Batley Bulldogs in 2013.

He made his debut at home against Hull FC in the same year and has gone on to make 62 appearances for the Saints.

St Helens coach Keiron Cunningham has rewarded Walmsley for his impressive start to the current campaign, and the player was delighted to sign the new deal despite interest from the National Rugby League in Australia.

“I was really happy when Keiron Cunningham approached me about renewing my contract,” Walmsley said. “I've had quite a good start to the season and it felt good that they wanted to reward me for my form.

“I was delighted to do so as since I have come here I have been made to feel very welcome by the players, staff and the board of directors. It was an easy decision to re-sign.

“I had offers from the NRL which I naturally had to think about. There is obviously a pull there as it is a prestigious league but credit to Keiron he made it clear he wanted to keep me and in the end that was the deciding factor.

“When the club made it very clear how much they wanted to keep me on board then it made the decision easier.”

Cunningham has been thrilled with Walmsley’s rapid rise since becoming a professional, and he considers the Yorkshireman to be vital to his plans at St Helens.

 “We're delighted Alex has agreed a new contract with the club. It's clear his progression from amateur to professional has been phenomenal and already this season he is proving to be one of the best forwards in the competition,” Cunningham said.

“What I like about Alex is his ability to learn and realise he isn't the finished article. He is keen to improve and trains very hard. I have no doubt he has all the attributes to become one of the very best in the game.”