Wigan Warriors pair Matty Nicholson and Alex Sutton will spend the 2022 season on loan at Championship side Newcastle Thunder.
Back-row Nicholson, 18, made one appearance for the north-east club last season on loan but will now spend a full campaign as a Newcastle player, as will centre Alex Sutton, 19, who is yet to make a professional appearance.
Both players were added to Wigan’s first-team squad for this season but will earn experience with Thunder, who have a close relationship with the Warriors including a dual-registration partnership, though the Super League side retain a recall option on both players.
“Coming back on loan to Thunder will hopefully give me an opportunity to play a good standard of rugby consistently to keep trying on improving my game,” said Nicholson of the move.
“I was here for one game last season and the boys were a good set of lads to be around. It was a big step up from playing academy rugby but it was a good experience that I enjoyed and I’m hoping to be able to get more of that this season.”
Sutton said: “I’m looking forward to being at Thunder and working hard to keep getting experience. I’ve been introduced to the first team at Wigan this year and have been involved in pre-season, but I’m coming on loan to hopefully gain some experience.
“I’ve only previously played against lads of a similar age up to know, so coming to a club like Thunder, I’m hoping to be able to get some game time against good opposition, which is something that the Championship provides.”
