Wigan snap up Smith

Wigan have signed Parramatta’s Tim Smith for the remainder of this and all of next season.nnOnce his work permit has been approved, the 23-year-old half-back will arrive in the UK to join up with his new teammates.nnFormer Young Player of the Year Smith has played 71 times for Parramatta Eels since 2005. He has also represented Australia Schoolboys in 2002, and in 2005 he won the ‘Rookie of the Year Award’ at the prestigious Dally ‘M’ awards ceremony.nnWith current stand-off Trent Barrett returning Down Under to play for Cronulla next season, Smith has been signed as the ideal replacement.nn”Tim is a talented half-back with an excellent kicking game and an outstanding record in try assists in the NRL,” Wigan Chairman Ian Lenagan said.nn”His signing for 2009 means that Wigan will have three kicking playmakers in Tommy Leuluai, Mark Riddell and Tim to help fill the gap caused by Trent Barrett‘s early departure. Whilst it will take a while for Tim to be fully match-fit, his 2008 arrival strengthens the squad for the remainder of the season and provides an additional playmaker for the run in to the playoffs,” he added.nnSmith himself expressed his delight at signing for Cherry & Whites. Following early-season illness difficulties, he sounded ready to start playing at the JJB Stadium.nn”I am really looking forward to joining the Wigan Club and am grateful for the Warriors for giving me the opportunity to re-launch my playing career. My aim is to impress the management, coaching staff and fans and to win something with Wigan. My personal problems have been well documented but they are now behind me and I want to concentrate only on playing footy,” he said.