Sam Wilde commits to Widnes

Back-rower Sam Wilde has committed to relegated Widnes for 2019.

Wilde, 23, first joined the Vikings on loan from Warrington in May 2017, playing two games, before making the move permanent ahead of the 2018 season.

He said: “It’s a massive weight lifted off my shoulders and I’m happy to have it all sorted. I’m really excited for next year and what we can achieve in 2019.

“We all know that last season wasn’t good enough, and results didn’t go the way that anyone involved with the club wanted. But we now have to flip that and take a look at the positives, and use them to get this club back to where it belongs in Super League.”

“Despite what happened on the field this year, I’ve really enjoyed my time here since joining, so that made it quite an easy decision for me to re-sign.

“You can see what the club is trying to do with the youth system they have in place, and having spoken with James Rule about the club’s ambitions and where we want to go, I knew that I wanted to be a part of it.”

Wilde played 18 times for Warrington, including starting in the 2016 Super League Grand Final, and has also played for Rochdale and London Broncos on loan.