BARROW Raiders new boy Aaron Smith is excited by the challenge ahead.

The former Super League Grand Final winner has penned a two-year deal ahead of the 2024 season.

Speaking to the club’s official website, Smith said: “I had a chat with Paul Crarey (Raiders’ head coach) earlier this week, and it got me excited for what we could do.

“Now it’s all about looking forward to getting started.

“I’m really looking forward to the journey ahead. It’s going to be a new challenge, but one that I’m really looking forward to.

“Barrow are a club striving for success, and that’s what drew me in. I’ve never been so far up north, so that’s another exciting factor for me.”

The 27-year-old joins Raiders from Leigh Leopards, where he made 39 appearances over two spells.

He was part of St Helens’ Grand Final-winning squad of 2019, having been named on the bench by then-coach Justin Holbrook for their 23-6 victory over Salford Red Devils at Old Trafford – in a game which featured another Raider in Greg Burke.

Smith has spent the last two seasons at Leigh, and while there he also had a brief loan spell at Rochdale Hornets, where he scored twice in six appearances.

Now he is looking forward to getting started and getting more minutes on the grass.

He added: “I’ve struggled for game time over the last couple of years.

“No player wants to be sat in the stands, so to get this deal over the line and get consistency in my game will hopefully help me to improve.

The newly-formed Blue and White Knights consortium have been credited with making the move possible.

The group’s financial input has been a shot in the arm for Raiders as they looked to assemble a squad capable of competing in the Betfred Championship this season.

Speaking about the deal, Crarey said: “After lots of due diligence and patience, we are delighted to sign Aaron Smith from Leigh.

“Aaron is a Super League Grand final winner from his time at Saints, where he was understudy to James Roby.

“He is a renowned playmaker who also knows his way to the try line.

“Alongside Josh Wood, we believe we will have two of the best hookers in the Championship this year.

“The two number 9s will complement each other perfectly, and we are excited to see him play in a Barrow shirt.”

Director of rugby Andy Gaffney added: “We have been on the lookout for a hooker and bided our time to bring quality in.

“Aaron certainly fits that bill, having played over 40 Super League games.

“We feel he will add a new and exciting dynamic to this group, and everyone at the club looks forward to seeing him hit the ground running in Raiders colours.”