St Helens have signed former Salford Red Devils centre Nene Macdonald on a two-year contract.
The 31-year-old Papua New Guinea international joined Salford from Leeds Rhinos from 2024 and was an influential figure in the side, helping them to a fourth-place finish and a Super League play-off spot that season.
Macdonald later left Salford on unpaid leave last season as the club’s financial issues began to increase, however he now reunites with former Salford coach Paul Rowley.
“When I first came over to England, Saints were winning everything and known for being such a huge club, so to be able to come and join a big club with such history is really exciting,” he said.
“It feels like a fresh start with the new coach and new players, big players too, and I’m looking forward to helping get Saints back on top.”
“He [Rowley] is a great coach and manages me really well to get the best out of me. I’ll give my best for Saints and for him.”
Having begun his career in the NRL, Macdonald made almost 100 appearances across spells with Sydney Roosters, Gold Coast Titans, St George Illawarra Dragons, North Queensland Cowboys and Cronulla Sharks.
He went on to join Leigh and helped them to promotion to Super League having scored 27 tries in 27 appearances and then spent a year with Leeds.
“To be able to bring a player of Nene’s calibre to the club at such a late stage is a real boost to our squad and testament to the ambition and support of [CEO] Mike Rush and the board,” Rowley added.
