NEWCASTLE THUNDER CONFIRM WIGAN DUAL REG DEAL

Fresh from confirming a pre-season friendly between the two clubs, Newcastle Thunder and Wigan Warriors are pleased to announce a dual-registration partnership for the 2022 rugby league season

The two clubs enjoyed an excellent working relationship in 2021 when players including new signing Mitch Clark and Sam Halsall spending time at Kingston Park Stadium, with that link further formalised with the new partnership.

The tie-up with the Betfred Super League side will offer Thunder the opportunity to bolster their squad by calling on some of the Warriors’ up and coming talent during the year, by affording them the chance to gain valuable and regular first team experience, playing competitive Rugby League. 

Dual-registration was first brought into the game in 2013 and it is a system that Thunder have used successfully in the past, with previous partnerships with Hull KR and Wakefield Trinity.

Under the arrangement Warriors players can also be registered to play for Thunder, making them eligible to play and train with both clubs.

Any player is restricted to play in one game per scheduled round of fixtures in any given week, meaning they are unable to play for both Newcastle and Wigan during the same weekend.

With previous Wigan players including Josh Woods, Jake Shorrocks, Nathan Wilde and Mitch Clark in the current Thunder squad, alongside Eamon O’Carroll and Denis Betts in the head coach and director of rugby roles respectively, the two clubs already have strong links. 

Speaking on the partnership, O’Carroll said: “We’re massively excited to form this partnership with Wigan after striking up a really good working relationship with them last season.

“The quality of players that we may be able to bring in from Wigan is excellent and from our point of view, we can offer the opportunity for them to remain in a full-time environment but to develop with some exposure to a different setting.

“We had great experiences of this last season with Sam (Halsall) and Mitch (Clark) and I’m looking forward to working with the Warriors again to our mutual benefit.”

Wigan Warriors head coach Matt Peet said: “We’ve got a good relationship with Thunder, so they’ll be our partner Club this year. The pre-season game is part of that as well as us sharing ideas with Denis (Betts) and Eamon (O’Carroll) about best practice, they will take things from here but also we’ll learn from them.

“I’m sure you’ll see a few of our players playing for Newcastle this year as players like Sam Halsall did last year. The way Sam was looked after, it proved to us that Newcastle are a strong Club, a caring Club and one we want to do more with going forward.”