Sam Powell tipped to have plenty of interest amid potential Wigan exit as rival coach addresses speculation
Sam Powell is weighing up his options for 2024. Photo by Dean Williams / Alamy Stock Photo.
Huddersfield Giants head coach Ian Watson kept his cards close to his chest when asked about the speculation linking the side with Wigan’s Sam Powell.
The former Great Britain assistant admitted that he expects many Super League clubs to be interested in the 31-year-old if he opts to leave the DW Stadium at the end of the year.
As exclusively revealed by Love Rugby League, Powell is weighing up his options for 2024 despite having one year remaining on his contract at the Warriors.
Powell, who has played his whole career with Wigan to date, faces competition in the hooker position next year following the addition of former Leeds captain Kruise Leeming on a long-term contract.
Youngster Brad O’Neill has also emerged as one of the club’s rising talents, having missed just two Super League games this year, while 20-year-old Tom Forber is also contracted.
Powell made his debut in 2012 and has gone on to play more than 250 games for Wigan, winning Grand Finals in 2016 and 2018, and the player and the club are on incredibly good terms about the prospect of what happens next.
Huddersfield are believed to be interested in England Knights representative Powell, with Watson not ruling out a potential move for the Wigan man.
Sam Powell speculation addressed by Huddersfield boss
“He’s a great player,” Watson told media on Friday.
“We’ve got nines in place at this moment in time. But when good English players become available, obviously you do have an interest in them. It’s whether you can fit them into your squad and that.
“Sam Powell is a good, big player. He’s a champion player as well and is somebody who is a very good leader and holds people accountable.
“There will be a lot of teams probably interested in him, but we’re pretty set where we are.
“Something would have to materialise for us to be able to jump into that. But he’s somebody who would be of interest just because of the stature of who he is.”