Newcastle Thunder hand deal to former Wigan Warriors playmaker

Former Wigan Warriors halfback Jake Shorrocks has signed a new two-year deal with Newcastle Thunder.

Making 17 appearances for the club in his first season, Shorrocks bagged himself four tries over the course of the year.

Playing 41 games for Wigan in all competitions after making his first team debut in June 2016, Shorrocks gained further experience of the top flight on loan at Salford Red Devils 2018 and has played a total of 37 Super League games.

Having agreed to his contract extension after enjoying his first year in the North East, Shorrocks is now looking forward to his next steps on his Thunder journey.

He said: “Last year was about me getting back to enjoying my rugby after a bit of a stop/start time with Wigan with injuries and things like that, so playing pretty much a full season was really good.

“Freddy and Denis said mid-season that they wanted to keep me on board.  There were some things they had to work out around going full-time but from those chats I knew I wanted to stay and be part of the project and hopefully take the club to where they want to be at.

“With my new deal and moving back to full-time, I think we’ve got to aim for the stars for next season. We’ve recruited well with some really good players with Super League experience and I think if we’re not aiming for the top end of the Championship, then we are under-selling ourselves.

Head coach Eamon O’ Carroll said: “Retaining Josh and the pairing of him and Woodsy was immensely important and something we wanted to get done right throughout the season.

We knew straight away that there is a long-term goal with them and their partnership. We’ve added a little bit around that, bringing in Mullen and I’m really excited about our spine. They all know each other; they have played with each other and think we can help them develop.

“I am excited to see what Shoz can do next year. He enjoyed his time here because we managed to give him an opportunity.

“I know the quality that’s in him and I ‘m really glad we got to keep hold of him.  I think he is going to be a great player for the club, not just next year but for the years to come as well.