St Helens have announced the signing of NRL player Waqa Blake on a one-year deal for the 2024 Super League season.
Blake will take up the No 3 jersey at the club and the outside back joins the competition after 165 NRL games to his name and 62 tries in the competition.
He has spent the last four and a half seasons with the Parramatta Eels and was a key member of their squad that reached the 2022 Grand Final.
On signing for St Helens, Blake said: “I can’t wait! I was excited to get over as soon as Paul [Wellens] and Mike [Rush] gave me a ring to say it was done, especially to a great club like St Helens. I’m looking forward to switching from the heat to the cold!
“To come to a club like St Helens where they’ve always been in the top four or top two, and then such a big thing winning four-in-a-row, I’m hoping I can fit in, and we can win another one. Just looking at all the players that they have there, all the strike, I’m keen to get to work.
“I think it’s getting better [Super League], I saw St Helens beat Penrith last year in the World Club Challenge, no one would have thought it.
“The quality of football is getting better and you can see that in the England side that played Tonga.
“I’ve played with Kevin Naiqama and he killed it at Saints, and I watched the Grand Final where he won Man of the Match.
“He told me a lot about Super League when we were in the Fiji camp, how special it is over there, and that Saints are a great bunch of boys, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
St Helens head coach Paul Wellens says their desire to change perceptions of English rugby league motivated them ahead of their World Club Challenge victory.
Head coach Paul Wellens added: “We have been on the lookout for some time now and we had other bits around the salary cap that we needed to sort; in retaining our own players which is always important. But this has also been at the forefront of our minds, and we are so pleased to bring in a player of Waqa’s quality into the squad.
“He is making a big commitment in coming over to the other side of the world and we’re confident he will settle in well and like it over here.
“We have great success in terms of our overseas players doing that and going out on the field to perform well. From our end, he’s going to come highly motivated and come to prove a point which will only help him and his performances, as well as our group.”
Watch every match of the 2024 Super League season, including Magic Weekend, the play-offs, and men’s, women’s and wheelchair Grand Finals, plus the World Club Challenge, live on Sky Sports. Also stream with NOW.
