Voting for the cinch Player of the Month award for October is open, with supporters able to choose the Saint they believe made the biggest contribution on the pitch throughout Northampton’s second month of the 2025/26 season.
The competition will remain open until Friday 14 October, when the winning player will be announced by Northampton Saints and cinch.
Throughout the season, cinch are also offering up a range of prizes for those who vote for the award, with one lucky supporter each month selected at random after voting closes. For October, one lucky winner will receive a Saints ball signed by the winner of this month’s award!
Saints enjoyed a perfect October taking all 20 of the Gallagher PREM points available to them as Phil Dowson’s side extended their unbeaten start to the campaign. It all started with a 35-37 victory away at Gloucester before defeating East Midlands rivals Leicester Tigers 32-26 at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens.
A second away victory followed at Kingston Park when Newcastle Red Bulls were defeated 19-36, before the first PREM block ended with a 43-31 success against Saracens at cinch Stadium.
With those clashes in mind, Saints’ coaches have selected six nominees for the monthly award: Tom Pearson, Alex Coles, Anthony Belleau, Edoardo Todaro, Rory Hutchinson and Tommy Freeman.
Flanker Pearson scored a remarkable four tries during October, dotting down once against Gloucester and Tigers before bagging himself a brace against Saracens. That took his haul to five scores in as many games this season and earned him an international recall with England A.
A man who didn’t miss a minute of action was the towering presence of Alex Coles, as he went the distance in all four fixtures. The England international’s positional versatility also came into effect as he packed down twice in the second row – and as many times at blindside flanker. He scored the 19th try of his Saints career with a galloping break at Kingston Park to cap off a monumental individual performance that earned him the player-of-the-match award.
Frenchman Belleau nervelessly landed the match-winning kick in front of the Shed at Kingsholm to get October off to a winning start – as he contributed 17 of his side’s 37 points to defeat Gloucester. Despite operating as a replacement a week later against Tigers, Belleau was no less impactful as he arrived from the bench to score two tries at cinch Stadium. The first was a brilliant finish under pressure in the left corner before he produced the deftest of chips to regather and complete his brace.
Like Belleau, 19-year-old Todaro has been nominated for this award for a second month running as the Italian extended his fast start to life in senior rugby. The winger crossed the line in both the Tigers and Red Bulls games, taking his tally to four in six games, earning him a call-up to the senior Italy squad ahead of the Autumn internationals.
Scotland international Hutchinson was literally at the centre of everything Saints did well during the tenth month of the calendar year. He was an ever-present in the heart of the midifeld and picked up the player-of-the-match award for an exceptional display against Gloucester, which combined creative flair with some huge defensive moments.
Completing the half-a-dozen nominees for the cinch Player of the Month award for October is British and Irish Lion, Freeman. His return to action from a busy summer in Australia saw his new contract extension be announced before the 24-year-old hit 100 appearances against Leicester Tigers. He switched to fullback for the trip to Newcastle when he crossed for his 60th Saints try.
Freeman was back on the wing for the visit of Saracens and the results were jaw-dropping as he ran in four tries that earned him the player-of-the-match award.
You can cast your vote below, but please note: only ONE vote per entrant will be counted.