Castleford Tigers youngster Aaron Willis has followed Leeds Rhinos bound Kieran Hudson out the door at the Jungle.
With Hudson joining Leeds, Willis is going much more further afield. The 19-year-old prop who can also play second-row has joined Midlands Hurricanes.
He spent 14 games on dual registration with the Hurricanes scoring twice for the club. Willis has now completed the permanent switch to the club for the 2024 season. He made his Super League debut in 2023.
The club have already signed Super League youngsters in the past in the shape of Ellis Hobson from Wigan Warriors.
On this, Mark Dunning said: “I’m delighted to welcome Ellis to the Hurricanes family and want to thank all at Wigan for the class they have shown in allowing the deal to happen.
“Ellis is a quality person as well as a quality player who can play middle or back row, and has captained both the academy and reserves in his time at Wigan as well as playing preseason for the first team in their trial games.
“He’s gained representative honours for Yorkshire over recent years gaining great reviews.
“This opportunity will allow us to support him to complete his law degree alongside his Rugby career. Everyone at the club is excited by Ellis’s decision to join us.”
The club have also worked hard to secure the services of Matt Welham as they prepare for a big year. Following spells Doncaster, Hemel Stags and Keighley Cougars, Matty joined the Canes in 2021 and linked up with big brother Liam who joined during 2020’s curtailed season. Matt has gone from strength to strength during his time with the Canes and currently has 25 tries in 45 appearances under his belt. He is also currently the Canes’ top try-scorer for 2023 with 12 tries. He continues to be a threat with ball in hand and his fends are a source of frustration for defenders across League One. We can’t wait to see him in a Canes shirt next year.
Dunning said: “Matty committing to the club for another year is a real boost and everyone is delighted. Along with Brad we have started with the retention of our existing players, and there will be more announced in due course.
“Matty is a quality player who bring versatility and leadership to our group as well as being a quality person and pro.”
