St Helens sign Wigan hooker Tom Forber on three-year deal

St Helens have signed hooker Tom Forber from Wigan Warriors on a three-year deal. The club announced the move on Monday, and the 23-year-old has already been pictured in a Saints shirt.

A hooker is the player in the middle of the front row, and in rugby league the role centres on dummy-half. That means picking up the ball after a tackle, starting the next set of six tackles and deciding where the team goes next. It is a job that asks for quick hands and calm nerves.

Forber came through Wigan's academy, the club's youth system, and went on to win honours with the first team. In 2024 he was part of the Wigan side that won the League Leaders' Shield, awarded to the team that finishes top of the table, and the Super League title. He also featured in the Grand Final win over Hull KR, the match that decides the Super League champions.

Like many young players, he also spent time learning his trade elsewhere. BBC Sport reports that he had loan spells at Castleford Tigers, Barrow and Oldham last season. Loans let a player at a bigger club get regular games at another one, and they are often where a hooker finds his rhythm.

St Helens have also added a second hooker. Tom Starling joins from the Canberra Raiders in the NRL, the top men's competition in Australia, on a three-year contract. Both players arrive on long-term deals, giving the Saints two hookers with years ahead of them.

The club has published a short feature in which Forber talks about joining, titled "Saints TV: Tom Forber on joining St.Helens". Its news page also carries a club article on the signing. Forber's first games in red and white will show how quickly he adapts to a new side and a new set of teammates.