Ridyard rejects Leigh to sign for Featherstone

Featherstone Rovers have signed Leigh Centurions half-back Martyn Ridyard on a two-year deal.

Ridyard is John Duffy’s sixth signing for the 2018 campaign, with the former Leigh Centurions and Huddersfield Giants star rejecting offers from Super League and Championship to link up with the rovers.

The 31-year-old helped guide the Centurions to promotion to Super League in 2016 and played over 200 games for the club, scoring a total of over 1,700 points.

Ridyard went to Huddersfield on loan and played a key role in the back end of the Giants’ season.

And Ridyard rejected an offer to stay with the Leigh club for the 2018 season.

The former Leigh Miners Rangers amateur said he wanted a fresh challenge in his career.

He said: “I am really looking forward to the challenge ahead, having played all my career at Leigh, other than a stint with Huddersfield, this is something new for me.

“It is a fresh challenge and one I cannot wait to get my teeth into. The idea of working with John Duffy was a major pulling point for me. I have know him for a long time, I have played with him and I know what he is capable of.

“A top-four finish is an extremely realistic aim for this club and it is where we want to be at the very least.

“Every year the Championship has got tougher and tougher but we will be right there in the mix with the likes of Leigh, Toronto, London and Toulouse.”

The highly-rated half-back will link up with Featherstone for pre-season training next month and could first feature in a Rovers shirt when they take on Castleford Tigers in a friendly on boxing day.