Widnes Vikings have completed the permanent signing of four players that spent the close season on trial with the club.
Lewis Hulme, Connor Williams, Jordan Case and Callum Wood have all penned reserve contracts for the 2020 season.
Hulme, the son of former Widnes favourite Paul, was rewarded with a place in Tim Sheens’ 21-man squad for the weekend’s game with Oldham.
Sheens (pictured) said: “Lewis has a bit of experience about him and we’ve been happy with his form.
“There’s no doubt all the boys have played well in the reserves as they went through pre-season undefeated, including winning at Rochdale.
“We’ve signed them on reserve contracts and will see how they go.”
Sheens was missing two players with injury for the Roughyeds match – expected absentee Jay Chapelhow, and Magraff Leuluai, who has a hip injury that Sheens hopes is not serious.
He said: “We’re hopeful that it’s nothing more than a week or two.”
On Friday the club also confirmed a dual-registration partnership with local rivals Warrington Wolves.
The two clubs had been in talks over the agreement for several weeks.
Vikings chief executive Phil Finney said: “We are delighted to be partnering up with Warrington for this season.
“Whilst we have always carried a rivalry with them on the field, we are enhancing a strong relationship with them off it, emphasised by this partnership moving forward.
“This partnership also offers opportunities for us to take on players through dual-registration during the season that can add to the competitive squad we’ve built during the off-season.
“We see this as a hugely positive step forward for us on the eve of the new season, and is a partnership we can benefit from.
“We look forward to working with Warrington Wolves and seeing how this relationship develops throughout 2020.”
