Warrington confirm Gidley signing

Warrington have confirmed the widely speculated signing of Australian utility Kurt Gidley from Newcastle Knights on a one-year deal.

Gidley, 32, has spent his entire career with the Knights in the NRL, and has also played 12 times for Australia and made 12 appearances for New South Wales in State of Origin.

He said: “I’m really excited. My brother went to St Helens for four years and had a great time playing in the Super League, and Danny Buderus has been to Leeds and played for three years. They came back with glowing reports of playing in the Super League and of experiencing a different culture, that was certainly a big factor for me. 

“I’m excited to be going to a strong club and to challenge myself and experience different fans and team-mates.

“One of Newcastle’s greats Andrew Johns played at Warrington and he’s given it a massive rap – their fans, the facilities and how stable the club is. Matty King is another good guy who I have spoken to about Warrington. They both had great reports on the club so I’m excited to challenge myself, play well, train hard and hopefully see if I can leave a legacy there.””

An accomplished goal kicker, Gidley has scored more than 1100 points in more than 230 games for the Knights since making his debut in 2001.

Wolves coach Tony Smith added: “Kurt’s been an extremely committed player to one club over his career, and we like the fact that he has been loyal. He will bring some of the big-game experience that he has been involved in for a number of years and we are delighted to be bringing some more experience in, particularly into our backline to help guide us around.”