Dowson 'very hopeful' of keeping 'class act' Kemeny at Saints
Phil Dowson says he is ‘very hopeful’ of keeping ‘class act’ Josh Kemeny at Saints beyond the end of the season.
Kemeny’s current deal ends in the summer of 2026, but he has been a big hit since moving to Northampton from Melbourne Rebels in 2024, and Saints would love to keep him for the foreseeable future.
The 27-year-old scored a wonder try last Saturday, beating five players on his way to the line in the 47-21 Gallagher PREM win against Sale Sharks.
And when asked whether he is optimistic about retaining the services of Kemeny, Saints boss Dowson said: “Very hopeful. He's a class act.
"On the field you can see what he's capable of, but off the field, with his leadership and his understanding of other people and how he looks after other people, he's been very good.
"He gets it, he's a bright guy, a very good man so let's hope we can keep him at the Saints.”
Speedy back row forward Kemeny has scored eight tries in 28 appearances for Saints so far.
And Dowson said: “He's an absolute freak.
"For whatever reason, Sam (Vesty) had taken him off some of our strike runs and Josh had been a bit sour about it, that JJ van der Mescht had been given a role and TP (Tom Pearson) or Henry (Pollock) had been given a role.
"JK made a note on his desk, saying 'pick me', 'give me some carry roles' and then he goes and scores from 45 metres out so he couldn't have said it any better.
"Some of his defensive contacts were tough and I loved the way he went about the game. He was excellent.
"It goes to show how competitive he is and how much he wanted to get stuck into that.”