Barrow Raiders are delighted to announce that experienced hooker Josh Wood has agreed a new one-year deal with the club.
Wood joined the Raiders ahead of the 2022 Betfred Championship season and has featured in all-but-one game.
Formerly of Wakefield Trinity and Salford Red Devils, the 26-year-old has played a major part in the Raiders’ successful return to the second tier.
The new deal will see Wood remain at the Matt Johnson Prestige Stadium until the end of the 2023 season.
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He becomes the second member of the Raiders squad to commit their future to the club in quick succession, following in the footsteps of experienced forward Carl Forster, who signed a new two-year deal last week.
On his decision to remain at the Raiders, Wood said: “It feels good getting the deal sorted. Now I can relax and just concentrate on playing, and hopefully helping the team get a few more wins to reach the play-offs.
“I’m just happy to be playing every week, especially with the injury I had last year at Wakefield. It feels good to put that behind me and be able to play big minutes again.
“There’s been a real feel-good atmosphere around the place this year, on and off the field. All the lads are playing with a smile on their face and enjoying grafting for each other. That’s one of the main reasons why I decided to sign another deal.
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“No one expected us to get some of the wins we have this year, so it’s great to prove people wrong. We just need to finish the season strong and push to keep this play-off spot.”
Barrow Raiders chairman Steve Neale said: “Once again we are delighted to retain one of our most consistent performers as we look to firmly establish ourselves in the Championship.
“Josh indicated he was happy at the club, which was good to know as there were other clubs interested.
“It is important that we maintain the supporters’ interest with a challenging team, but at the same time we are conscious that we don’t want to be left behind due to inadequate facilities. Signing Josh certainly helps the former.”
Director of rugby Andy Gaffney added: “Josh has been one of our stand-out players this season. He must be one of the hardest tacklers in the competition, is a very tough player and has very high standards.
“He had a lot of interest ahead of next year and we are really pleased that he has decided to stay at Barrow.”
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