Harrison Hansen commits to Widnes

Widnes have continued their squad building for next season by confirming Harrison Hansen will remain at the club.

Hansen, 32, moved to the Vikings ahead of The Qualifiers following the falling out at Leigh which saw several players leave ahead of the transfer deadline.

He said: “I’m happy to be here and take on the challenge of next year.

“When I sat down with James Rule to discuss next year, and listened to what he had to say about the club and what we’re trying to do, it sounded like something I wanted to be a part of.

“With Hep, and now myself, leading the way from the front next year, it gives us a big chance to rebuild the club, with the goal being to get promoted at the first attempt. Looking at the bigger picture and what we’re trying to do, I thought that it was a good opportunity for me to be part of the team that got Widnes back into Super League.

“Obviously we have re-signed a lot of the talented young lads already, and you need them, but you can’t get by with just those in your squad. You need to find a good balance within the side in terms of experience. I know what it takes to be successful in the Championship, and I hope I can pass that on to some of them for next year.

“It’s good to see that we have the likes of Hep, MacGraff and Wellington signed up for next year, as we start to form a strong pack for this division. We know we have to match teams down the middle, and it’s going to be a tough league, but there’s no reason why we can’t go well and show people what we’re about in 2019.”

Hansen started his career at Wigan, making just shy of 250 appearances, and won two Super League and Challenge Cup titles.

He then moved to Salford for two seasons before heading to Leigh in 2016, playing for them during their Super League campaign in 2017.