Widnes Vikings are delighted to announce the signing of Jack Johnson on a one-year deal ahead of the 2020 Betfred Championship season.
The 23-year-old progressed through the Warrington Wolves academy system, making 18 appearances for the club and scoring seven tries before departing towards the end of the 2019 campaign.
Johnson, who can operate on the wing and at fullback, finished last season with Featherstone Rovers, scoring three times in his eight appearances to help the club reach the Championship Grand Final.
Jack also featured for Rochdale Hornets at the start of the 2019 season, with two tries in his five appearances, gaining Championship experience with the club on dual-registration over the past four seasons.
In 2017 he also spent a brief loan spell with the Vikings, making his debut at Magic Weekend and scoring in a narrow defeat away to Castleford Tigers, featuring three times in total.
Jack Johnson commented, “I’m really excited about the move. I’ve always kept an eye on Widnes after the time I spent here and it’ll be good to pull the shirt on again.
“Obviously as a club it’s been quite up and down, but I’m looking forward to playing my part in this rebuilding process and it’s all very exciting.
“Widnes is still a very big club and I spent a short time here on loan and I honestly loved it. The fans were always great to me, even though I was a Warrington player at the time, so that played a huge part in me signing. I’m sure the team and I will get the same support this year, which I’m looking forward to.
“Tim (Sheens) was also a massive factor as to why I signed at Widnes. He’s a huge name in the game and I’m really looking forward to learning from him. To win an NRL Premiership and a World Cup, I’m sure he knows a thing or two about the game which hopefully he can pass on to me. He’s a huge coup for the club and it shows that we’re going in the right direction.
“Featherstone was great for me at the back end of last year, going there allowed me to play regular rugby again, which meant I could get some form back, and I can’t thank them enough.
“We had a great run and picked up some really good wins, hopefully I can carry on where I left off here at Widnes. There’s absolutely no reason why we can’t be up there challenging come the back end of the year.
“I’m looking forward to coming into this group, everyone I know at Widnes speaks very highly of the place and of the lads. Obviously keeping hold of Danny Craven and Jack Owens is big for the club, so I’m looking forward to coming in and trying to earn my spot for what should be a big 2020 season.”
Jack Johnson is proudly sponsored by Matt Taylor for the 2020 Betfred Championship season.
