Tommy Makinson to retire after 2026 Super League season
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- Tommy Makinson announced he will retire from rugby league at the end of the 2026 Super League season, posting the news on Instagram with the campaign still in progress.
- Makinson won five Super League titles with St Helens in 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, plus a World Club Challenge, a Challenge Cup and four League Leaders' Shields.
- St Helens featured Makinson in more than 300 appearances between 2011 and 2024, during which he scored over 200 tries for the club.
- Makinson was named to the Super League Dream Team on three occasions and earned more than 20 caps representing England internationally.
- The Catalans Dragons wing has scored 20 tries in 37 appearances since joining the French club ahead of the 2025 season.
Why it matters: Makinson's exit closes the book on the most decorated St Helens era of the modern era — five titles spanning 2014 to 2022 — while Catalans lose a veteran who has averaged better than a try every other game in France. At 34 and still active, his announcement while mid-season lets clubs, teammates and fans organise a proper farewell before his final appearances.
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