Barrow Raiders have signed Leigh Leopards forwards Kavan Rothwell and Ryan Brown on season-long loan deals.
Rothwell and Brown both came through the Wigan Warriors academy ranks and have represented England at age group level.
Previously featuring 12 times for the Raiders during two previous loan spells, Rothwell is no stranger to Cumbria.
The 22-year-old made nine appearances for the club last season, scoring twice in a 27-20 victory over Dewsbury Rams at the Northern Competitions Stadium back in April.
Likewise, Brown spent time in Barrow as part of the dual-registration agreement which was in place between Barrow and Wigan for the 2024 campaign.
He featured 11 times in total, starting four of the last five games of the season, before completing a move to Leigh during the off-season.
Both players will look to use their time at the Raiders to further develop and put themselves in a position to break into the Leopards’ first team, and we thank Leigh for sanctioning moves for two of their highly-rated young forwards.
Barrow Raiders head coach Paul Crarey said: “Kavan and Ryan starred for us at times last year, and it’s great for the club that Adrian Lam and Leigh trust our coaching team to help these two outstanding youngsters progress in their careers.
“Both players are tough-as-teak middles with the potential to go right to the top. We all look forward to them playing a big part in our Championship campaign.”
Director of rugby Andy Gaffney said: “It’s fantastic for the club that a number of Super League coaches and directors of rugby trust our head coach Paul Crarey with the development of some of their most promising youngsters.
“This runs in tandem with bringing our own local youngsters through our systems, and we look forward to both players making a real difference to our fortunes this year.”
Rothwell and Brown will be eligible to play and train with both clubs, and Leigh will have the option to recall either player at any point after the first two weeks of the loan.
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