Super League: Mark Percival still St Helens’ man for all seasons | ‘He does things people can’t describe’ | Rugby League News

Mark Percival celebrates after St Helens’ win over Leeds in last year’s Super League Grand Final

There are two sides to Mark Percival. Just ask his St Helens team-mate Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook for starters.

On the field, there is the wily centre who dazzles the fans on the terraces and in the stands of Totally Wicked Stadium and confounds opponents up and down the Betfred Super League with his ability to squeeze through gaps which do not seem to be there.

Then there is the off-the-field side which few other than Saints’ players and coaches see. The cheeky, fun-loving character who has brought so much to the squad beyond just his playing ability for the past 10 years he has been part of it.

“Percy is one of those who off the field is a laugh a minute and one of those kids you just get along with – he’s just a funny, funny human,” McCarthy-Scarsbrook said.

“On the field, he does things people can’t describe or doesn’t know how he does it himself.

“He’s one of those weirdos who knows how to run the ball into as many people as he can, and still get through and score a try. He’s one of a kind and I’m glad he’s on our team.”

Percival’s importance to the reigning Super League champions is underlined by the fact he is celebrating his testimonial with St Helens in 2023, although he did not actually feature in the game in his honour against his hometown club Widnes Vikings at the end of January.

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Mark Percival goes over to score for St Helens in the Super League Grand Final against Leeds Rhinos.

Ever the professional though, the 28-year-old understood the desire of head coach Paul Wellens to ensure he did not risk injury ahead of the pre-season trip to Australia, which includes the World Club Challenge against Penrith Panthers on February 18, and a campaign which will see Saints going for an unprecedented fifth-straight Grand Final victory.

Percival has been an integral member of three of the previous four – he missed the 2020 Grand Final with a shoulder injury – including scoring a try in last year’s 24-12 win over Leeds Rhinos at Old Trafford, along with being part of their 2014 triumph, too, in only his second season as a professional.

Indeed, he has come a long way since the teenager who grew up idolising two of Saints’ modern centre greats and was playing for community club Halton Hornets when he saw the opportunity to catch the eye of a St Helens scout.

“I think I was 14 playing on a Tuesday night against Blackbrook and I remember seeing a St Helens scout on the side and thought ‘I wouldn’t mind getting snapped up here’,” Percival said.

He’s one of those weirdos who knows how to run the ball into as many people as he can, and still get through and score a try. He’s one of a kind and I’m glad he’s on our team.

Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook on Mark Percival

“You try to play a little bit better when scouts are there as a kid and you want to put in a better performance, and I think I ended up doing it that night. He approached my dad after it and got me down here.

“At the time, I used to watch Jamie Lyon and Matt Gidley who were great players and I wanted to try my best to get to their level, and by coming to St Helens I knew it would make me better as player.”

Wellens, who has succeeded Kristian Woolf as head coach for 2023 onwards, knows as well as anyone what Percival brings to the side having played the final three seasons of his stellar 16-year career at Saints as the England international’s team-mate.

The 42-year-old, who joined the club’s coaching staff after retiring from playing, feels fortunate to have been able to play alongside him during the early part of his career and is impressed with how he has developed into one of the renowned exponents of his position.

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St Helens’ Mark Percival answers some quickfire questions in ‘If I Could’.

“He’s undoubtedly one of the best centres in the world for me and if you look at last year as an example, he went 17 weeks without playing and then came back for the last two games of the season and played like he’d never been away,” Wellens said. “I can’t stress how hard that is to do.

“He’s a bit of a rugby league throwback in terms of how he just goes out on the field, knows what he needs to do and gets the job done.

“He’s a really fun member of the group to be around – I think if you asked any of the lads they’ll speak highly of him, and we’re no different as a staff from a coaching perspective.”

Even given St Helens’ status as one of the leading lights of Super League, Percival admits at times he finds it difficult to comprehend what they have achieved in recent seasons after becoming the first team to win four Grand Finals in a row with last October’s victory over Leeds.

He’s undoubtedly one of the best centres in the world for me.

St Helens head coach Paul Wellens on Mark Percival

But with a World Club Challenge showdown with back-to-back NRL champions Penrith, live on Sky Sports, on the horizon and their Super League rivals snapping at their heels, the man who is on the verge of 200 Saints appearances knows they cannot bask in that glory too much.

“You do have to pinch yourself sometimes,” Percival said. “I remember going into the Leeds game and you are nervous, thinking ‘are we going to win it four times in a row?’.

“Even though I’m so confident in the team and what we can do, just sometimes you think sometimes you never know if everything is going to go your way.

“Every year, the desire is here to train, everyone is working hard, and although I’m not looking too far ahead, I don’t see why we can’t be challenging for trophies again. The team we’ve got is only going to be improved with having Lewis Dodd and Alex Walmsley coming back in [after injuries].

“I sometimes don’t believe we’ve done four in a row, but we have, and we need to recognise that. But, at the same time, keep level-headed and make sure we go on again this year because we don’t want to let Wello down.”

Watch St Helens’ NRL Pre-Season Challenge match against St George Illawarra Dragons on February 11 (9am) and the World Club Challenge against Penrith Panthers on February 18 (7am), along with 66 matches in the 2023 Betfred Super League season, live on Sky Sports and stream on NOW TV.