York City Knights are pleased to announce the signing of young Warrington Wolves half-back Riley Dean on a season-long loan deal.
Riley’s signing was made possible due to the hard work and support of Squadbuilder and his player sponsor will be Rollits Solicitors.
Dean, 19, came through the system at renowned amateur club Siddal before joining Warrington and has previously captained the Wire’s academy team. He made his Super League debut at nineteen years old and was last year called up to the Ireland squad for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup qualifiers.
On Dean’s signature, Knights head coach James Ford said: “Riley has shown plenty of promise as a young half at Warrington, origin academies and with England academy. He has a good skill set, a strong running game and I’m looking forwards to working with him.
On signing for the club, Dean said: “I’m really excited about joining the club and buzzing to be able to get the chance to apply myself in a new environment. Hopefully, I can bring something new to the team.
“Going out on loan was something I’d been thinking about and it was more making the right move for me, and York is a great option with a good squad and coaching staff behind it.
“I’m hoping to be able to show a good version of myself and enhance the team if I’m given the opportunity to hopefully get some game time under my belt.”
The news of Dean’s signature comes as the Knights, unfortunately, confirm that off-season recruit Morgan Smith has been ruled out with a ruptured ACL. The injury, suffered in training, is likely to rule the half-back out for the rest of the season.
On Smith’s injury, Ford said: “It’s a really disappointing and frustrating thing to pick up a season-ending injury, especially in a training accident. Morgan has a great support network around him and, coupled with the club’s support and his drive to succeed, I’m still very confident that Morgan can fulfil his ambitions in the game. Being injured is never nice, but it’s part of being a professional athlete. Morgan has a great opportunity to demonstrate how resilient he is with how he engages with his rehab and strives to help the team succeed.”
2021 season tickets are available now. To purchase yours, please contact info@yorkcityknights.com or call 01904 876527.
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