BARROW Raiders have acted swiftly to plug the gap left by the departed Chris Hankinson by swooping for former St Helens and Bradford Bulls stand-off Lewis Charnock.
The 22-year-old, who has signed a two-year deal, is set to partner Jamie Dallimore in the half-backs and he is itching to show his value to the Craven Park outfit.
“I cannot wait to get started,” he said. “I will try and help them as much as I can, I will do my best and see how far we can go.
“I spoke to Andy Gaffney and Cresta, the gaffer, and I saw it as a good opportunity for me to go and play some rugby and show them what I can do.
“As long as I am playing I will play anywhere, but if I had to pick a favourite it would be stand-off or loose forward,” he added.
“At Bradford I played a lot at stand-off and I think that’s where I see myself now.
“I have spoken to a few boys that I know there and they are loving it up there so it just seems a good place to go for me.”
The deal follows that of captain Oliver Wilkes extending his stay for a further year as Barrow prepare for 2017, and Raiders joint director of rugby Andy Gaffney believes Charnock will be more than capable of filling Hankinson’s boots following his move to Swinton Lions.
“He is a fantastic player and he will fit nicely into the squad,” Gaffney said of Charnock.
“He kicks goals for fun, he went to Bradford on loan from St Helens. He has made a few Super League appearances for Saints
“We had been tracking him for quite a bit and it is great to see a player of that calibre and pedigree coming to play for us.
“He had a chat with Cresta and once he had a word he felt this was the only place to come.”