In December 1994, he switched codes to play for his home town rugby league club St Helens.
[4] Northey appeared as a substitute (replacing centre Anthony Sullivan on 47-minutes) in St. Helens' 16-25 defeat by Wigan in the 1995–96 Regal Trophy Final during the 1995–96 at Alfred McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield on Saturday 13 January 1996.
[6] He joined Rotherham Titans in 2000 for the tail-end of their meteoric rise through the leagues but a knee injury curtailed his playing career.
He joined the club's community department as a rugby development officer whilst running the Under-18s, and was offered the chance to take control of first team affairs following the departure of Mike Schmid in 2004.
Northey was a popular figure at Rotherham Titans because of his sharp wit, no-nonsense approach and stories of the 'good old days' of rugby league but was never considered a serious contender to lead the club on a permanent basis.