Gavin Bennion one of three Swinton players to sign new deals
Swinton have extended the deals of forwards Gavin Bennion, Frankie Halton and Samy Kibula.
Bennion, 25, has been chased by other clubs but is now committed to the Lions until the end of 2020.
He said: “It was an easy decision as the club have been so good to me and have looked after me very well this year, making it an enjoyable club to play for.
“I’ve enjoyed my rugby probaly the most I ever have this year as the group of lads we have is something special.
Following his lead in committing until the end of 2020 is back-rower Halton, who made the step up from community rugby at the start of this season.
Halton, 23, represented England at the 2018 Commonwealth Championships in Australia and joined the club from Leigh Miners.
He said: “I’m really happy to have signed for the Lions next year.
“I’ve settled in really well this year with a top bunch of lads, coaching staff and great fans. It has been easy adjusting to the professional game with this club and to be honest I didn’t want to be anywhere else.”
The third extension is for Wigan forward Kibula, who has extended his loan spell at Swinton for a further month.
Chairman Andy Mazey said: “It’s a big statement to extend the contract of a player of Gavin’s calibre for our club.
“I recently fielded a call from a CEO of a Super League club wanting to sign him with immediate effect so the fact he’s not only still here but signing a new contract should hopefully demonstrate to our supporters that this club is now under strong management and we are working extremely hard to find an exciting new direction which will enable us to retain our best talent and build on our progress of the last two years.
“Stuart (Littler) was adamant he wanted Frankie on-board for 2020, so we moved quickly as his performances had put him on the radar of quite a few bigger clubs.
“We are delighted Samy will be staying with us for a further month and thanks must go to our Pride Builder fund who will be funding this deal in full.”