Leigh Centurions have announced that Joe Mellor has signed a contract extension to keep him at the club until the end of the 2024 season.
Club co-captain Mellor, 31, said: “I think we’ve had a really good start to the year and hopefully we can keep as many of the players as we can moving forward through the next couple of seasons.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time here this season. Last year was tough but we have a really good group of lads here and hopefully, we can keep building the momentum until the end of the year.”
Mellor paid tribute to the work of Leigh coach Adrian Lam and head of rugby Chris Chester.
“I think they have been really good for the squad this year,” he said. “When we first started, we didn’t have that many players and as we began the season, our squad has kept on building.
“Personally, I just want to keep improving. I am not exactly a young kid anymore, so I just want to keep maturing my game and hopefully get better each year with every game I play.”
Mellor has played a significant role in the 2022 campaign, playing in 18 games with eight tries to his name.
The Warrington-born man came through the youth ranks at Wigan Warriors before making his mark on the rugby league scene with a seven-season stint at Widnes Vikings between 2012 and 2018. From there, he had a short stint at Toronto Wolfpack before joining the Centurions in 2021.
Head of Rugby Chris Chester said: “Joe Mellor has had a consistent year and good half backs in this country are very difficult to come by.
“The relationship he has with the spine of the team is positive and we are looking forward to that combination getting stronger in 2023.
“We know that there has been a little bit of speculation surrounding Joe’s future at the club. However, we are very glad to put those rumours to bed with this announcement of a two-year deal.”
