Newcastle sign former Warrington winger Jack Johnson
Newcastle have signed former Warrington winger Jack Johnson for the 2021 season.
The 24-year-old had initially joined Ottawa Aces for next year – but the Canadian club then decided to postpone their entry to League 1 until 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Johnson made 18 first team appearances for Warrington before joining Widnes in 2020. He has also enjoyed time on loan at Featherstone and Rochdale.
Thunder director of rugby Denis Betts said: “Jack is a fantastic player and really impressed me when I brought him in at Widnes.
“He is dynamic, with great footwork and is strong under the high ball and he is a player that is really going to excite our fans.
“He is an excellent character and is going to play an important role for us next season.”
Wey aye, man. Looking forward to getting going up at @ThunderRugby and playing some RL again!
Exciting opportunity and a good way to finish this rollercoaster year ⚡️
See ya soon pet @GazGShore https://t.co/6OsKlW6ZVl
— Jack Johnson (@JackkJohnsonn) November 25, 2020
Johnson said: “Thunder is a club that I’ve been interested in for some time. It’s got exciting ambitions and the direction it is looking to take is really appealing.
“I know Denis well from when I played for him at Widnes and have kept in contact with him since then, which has made coming to Newcastle the right opportunity and the right time.
“I can’t wait to get going. It’s been such a weird year for everybody and I think everyone is going to be eager to get back.
“I’m excited by who I’m going to be playing with next year and gelling well with them. We’ve got some good combos there and we’re all fairly young, so there is scope for us to grow and develop as a really good team.”
