Leigh confirm signing of Josh Woods

Leigh have signed half-back Josh Woods on a season-long loan deal from Wigan.

The 20-year-old came through the junior ranks at Leigh East, before graduating through Wigan’s academy.

Woods made his first-team debut for the Warriors in 2017 and has played 13 first-team games for Wigan so far, as well as 18 games for Swinton Lions on dual-registration.

On signing Woods, Leigh coach John Duffy: “It will be a dream come true for Josh and his dad, Mick as they are both ardent Leigh Centurions fans and season ticket holders on the North Stand.

“Josh is a very classy half-back and has already gained a lot of experience in both Super League and the Championship, playing on dual registration in the past two seasons at Swinton Lions.

“I coached him at both Wigan and Swinton and he reminded me of a young Lee Briers and that’s high praise. He can read a game so well and can kick with both feet, which is very rare.

“He will be so excited to be playing alongside Ridy [Martyn Ridyard] and he’ll greatly benefit from the experience he’ll get here. This will serve him and Wigan Warriors well in the future, so it’s a win-win for everyone.

“Josh has dreamed of playing for Leigh since he was a kid so will be itching to pull on a Leigh shirt for the first time and it will be a special moment for his dad, who’s a great bloke, and the rest of the family.”

On his move to Leigh, Woods commented: “I can’t wait to pull on a Leigh Centurions shirt. It all feels a bit weird at the moment. I’ve supported Leigh all my life and it will be great to play for the club.

“I will still train at Wigan every day and join up with Leigh on a Thursday evening for the team training so I’ll get the best of both worlds.

“Everyone at Wigan has been brilliant with me and they think this will develop my game and they’re fully behind me. In the long run, it will hopefully help me achieve my ambition of being a regular Super League player.

“I have watched Ridy all the time during his career at Leigh and it will be brilliant to play alongside him. I can learn so much off him and I have so much respect for him.

“My mum, dad, grandma and granddad are all excited about me playing for Leigh and it will be great to play at LSV in front of all my family and friends.”