Warrington Wolves have announced that prop Chris Hill and backorder Ben Currie have agreed extended and upgraded contracts.
Hill, 29, has agreed terms to keep him at the club for the next five years until November 2021. He joined the Wolves from Championship side Leigh Centurions in 2012 making his debut in February of that year earning heritage number 1099. He has made 168 appearances in the primrose and blue to date including 36 in 2016.
These appearances include the Challenge Cup Finals of 2012 and 2016 as well as three Grand Finals in 2012, 2013 and 2016; walking out the team as captain in this season’s fixtures.
This season also saw him named in the Super League Dream Team, following on from previous appearances of 2012 and 2014.
With two appearances in the current Four Nations internationals he has now totalled 18 caps for England to date.
Currie, 22, made his first-team debut for the Wolves back in April 2012, and holds heritage number 1101. His extended contract takes him through to November 2020. He’s now made 120 appearances, notching up 59 tries, including his first on the big stage in 2016’s Challenge Cup Final.
The 2016 season saw him named in the Super League Dream Team for the first time.
He represented Ireland in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup and backed this up with England squad selection last year.
Warrington coach Tony Smith said: “Chris continues to give 100 per centin everything he does both on and off the field. He is an extremely valuable member of the team who is highly sought after both here and in the NRL. Since 2012 he has developed into the first-class international player. To have him commit to our club for such an extended time is a real coup for both us and the Super League competition. I look forward to continuing to work with him for many years to come.
“Ben is another player attracting attention from the NRL so his contract extension is another boost for the club and the game in this country. I have enjoyed watching him develop as a player and a person, and it’s hard to believe that he is still so young having achieved so much already, with international recognition at the age of just 21. He is a pleasure to have within the squad and he’ll still play a massive part at the start of next season despite his injury. I look forward to watching him develop even further.”
Hill added: “It seems like I’ve been here a lifetime already. It’s fantastic to have extended my contract. There’s no better place to be than here at the moment; everything about it from the backroom staff and Karl Fitzpatrick now as chief executive to Smithy and Simon, the owner. My family love it too so there was no reason why I shouldn’t be stopping and hopefully this extension takes me up to my testimonial. There’s a lot more still to do as well, still silverware to be won, starting with the World Club Series as we’ve not had a win in that yet – narrowly missing out to St George Illawarra Dragons – and we want to prove that we are up there with the best in the world, up against Brisbane. Since day one in 2012 I’ve been made to feel like part of the family.”
Currie said: “I’m delighted. The club must have appreciated what I did last year as they approached me this off-season and it was impossible to say no to signing an extension. Last year we made the two finals getting so close and won the League Leaders too; we’ve signed a lot of new players this off season and it’s a great club to be involved in at the moment as it’s really going somewhere. The squad is a young one now, one for the future as well as the present, so I’m really looking forward to everyone getting back together and giving it a good go next year.”
