Oliver Gildart commits future to hometown club Wigan

Wigan centre Oliver Gildart has signed a new and improved three-year deal with the club.

The 21-year-old made his first team debut in 2015 and won the Super League Grand Final in 2016. He has made 68 appearances for the Warriors to date, scoring 40 tries from the centre role.

Gildart has scored nine tries in 14 games for Wigan this season and his impressive performances earned him a call-up to the England Knights Performance squad.

And he is delighted to sign a contract extension with his hometown club.

He said: “Wigan is the club I’ve been at for a while now and I’m really happy to have signed at the club again for the next three years.

“I love playing with the team we have here and to have played in so many big games so early on in my career has been great.

“I think I’ve got lots of improvement left in me and want to play in more finals and win more silverware and winner’s rings over the next few years.”

Warriors executive director Kris Radlinski revealed Wigan fought off competition from several NRL and Super League clubs to secure the services of Gildart.

He said: “This has been a very delicate negotiation as Oliver was not short of offers.

“If truth be known, it has probably taken a little more time that we would have anticipated but I am confident that this is the right decision for Club and player.

“We have beaten off strong competition from a number of leading clubs in both the Super League and in the NRL to keep Oliver at Wigan and I’m thrilled that he has agreed this new contract.

“One of the best centres in the competition on his day, he is a credit to the Wigan Academy system and a fine example of both the player and man that we look to develop here. I can still remember the confident 14-year-old kid coming into the Club. We all felt that he had an exciting future and we have been proved right. Oliver now needs to set his targets high and realise his potential. The international stage is where he should he showcasing his talent and that can’t be too far away.

“I know how much this club means to him and we are delighted that we could come to this agreement. Oliver’s best years are ahead of his and I look forward to seeing his career develop.”