Widnes Vikings have signed Wigan Warriors centre Zach Eckersley on a one-month loan deal.
The 19-year-old centre first joined the Warriors on a scholarship deal at the age of 14, having previously played as a youngster for Waterhead – the same club that Kevin Sinfield, Paul Sculthorpe and Barrie McDermott started at.
He made his debut for the cherry-and-whites in August 2022, coming off the bench during their 38-28 defeat at Hull KR.
Eckersley, whose father Chris played on the wing for Oldham and Warrington Wolves, is also a capable goal-kicker.
The teenager has already spent time on loan at fellow Betfred Championship side London Broncos this season, scoring once in four appearances.
He could make his Vikings debut against Swinton Lions on Good Friday.
This comes after John Kear warned his players he would be making changes and looking for Super League talent.
He said on the club’s YouTube Channel:
“Change some of the players!
“I’ll be ringing around opposition coaches, I’ll be ringing around Super League coaches, seeing if anybody’s available for loan deals and also I’ll be changing some of the players for Friday because that’s just not acceptable.”
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