Tommy Makinson explains motivation behind Catalans Dragons move with off-field plans detailed

Tommy Makinson has explained why a move to Catalans Dragons has been in his plans for a while, with the veteran winger making the switch to France ahead of 2025.

Now 32, Makinson has made 338 senior club career appearances to date. All bar two have come in St Helens colours having come through the Merseyside outfit’s academy system, with a game apiece played on loan for both Rochdale Hornets and Whitehaven.

The five-time Super League champion scored 1,389 points in a Saints shirt and will forever be remembered as a certified legend at the Totally Wicked Stadium.

But back in June, it was announced that he had penned a two-year deal with Catalans starting in 2025, permanently departing the Red V for the first time in his career.

Speaking to Catalans’ YouTube channel, Makinson explained that the Dragons have been a club he’s admired for a long time.

He said: “I’ve played for St Helens all my life, and I wanted to come and challenge myself over here.

“Why not play for Catalans Dragons who have such a rich history, with great people in a different country?

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, going and testing myself in a different country, and I never wanted to play for another Super League club barring Catalans.

“That opportunity came around and I could have stayed at St Helens, but I wanted to come and play for Catalans for a few years.

“Catalans is a huge club. Everyone knows in Super League what a great club Catalans is, they’ve come really close to winning Super League a few times and it (moving here) is something I’ve always wanted to do.”

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The Ince-in-Makerfield native is also a 12-time England international, with 92 points scored to date on the international stage.

Having taken on Catalans 29 times in his career, and got to know the Stade Gilbert Brutus pretty well during those clashes, he’s now looking forward to bedding into the Perpignan culture.

Delving into his off-field plans, he explained: “I’ve never really been this excited for a long time. Leaving St Helens and coming into a new challenge, a new journey, it really gets the blood flowing again.

“I want to achieve something special for France and for Catalans. It’s more than rugby league here, it’s about embracing the culture, embracing the fans and learning French is the number one for me.

“Playing well and winning things aside, I want to learn French and I want to embrace the culture.

“My children are going to be going to a French school and I just want to give everything in my life to what I’m going to be doing here over the next two or three years.”

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