Liam Hood departs Widnes

Widnes have confirmed hooker Liam Hood has left the club to take up full-time employment outside of rugby league. 

The Scotland international joined the Vikings ahead of the 2019 season and scored a try in their win over Featherstone Rovers on Sunday.

Following the last week, in which the club entered administration before being taken over by a consortium, Hood has decided to take up an opportunity away from the sport on a full-time basis, but he views to play part-time rugby elsewhere.

On his decision, Hood commented: “For myself and my family, the last couple of years has been really, really tough.

“Things didn’t go perfectly last year, and the same has happened here in the last week or so.

“I’ve got to start thinking about my family, I have two young kids, and a job opportunity outside of rugby came up recently that I couldn’t turn down. I’ve got to think about putting my family first now after the year we’ve just been through.

“Despite the last week, I’ve absolutely loved my time at Widnes since I started here back in November. The whole place made me feel welcome as soon as I came through the door, from the staff, to the fans and finally the players. Everyone made me feel so welcome, and I’m gutted that it has ended like this.

“To see how the club and the town has come together in the last week shows what it means to people and why it was important that the club was saved.

“People are always talking about the saying of “Once a Viking, Always a Viking,” and that’s the case with me. Moving forward, I’ll always have nothing but great words to say about this club, and I really hope Widnes eventually get back to where they belong in Super League.”