PNG Kumuls centre Nene Macdonald has been released from his St Helens contract under a mutual agreement following a brief stint in the red and white.
Macdonald joined the club last December on a two-year deal from Salford after 34 appearances and 17 tries over two seasons in 2024 and 2025.
Although injuries kept Macdonald on the sidelines, limiting him to 13 appearances for St Helens and an early exit from his contract in less than 12 months at the club.
St Helens had a disappointing 2026 campaign, missing the Super League play-offs for the first time, finishing seventh at the end of the regular season.
Plenty of expectation will be placed on them to return to the top following the appointment of Australian Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters for next season, bringing a wealth of coaching experience to drive success in the north-western English club.
Macdonald is currently representing PNG at the World Cup, and has done so in 22 appearances, making him the highest-capped Kumul in the squad, equaling his skipper Rhys Martin.
In his first appearance for the 2026 international campaign, Macdonald ran over 200 metres from centre, picking up four tackle breaks and a line break in a dominant win over Lebanon.
During his time in the NRL, Macdonald notched close to 100 NRL matches across stints at the Roosters, Titans, Dragons, Cowboys and Sharks.
Mainly playing on the wing, he quickly grew to become a reliable finisher in the corner across his time in the NRL, scoring 35 tries across his journeyman career in Australia.
It makes him an experienced outside-back option for many English clubs looking to add strike to their back line if he can get his body right during the season.
Macdonald has been named at centre for the Kumuls against England in Wollongong this Friday in the final round of the pool stages before World Cup semis kick off next week.
