BARROW Raiders' new signing has expressed his excitement ahead of the season after playing a surprise 80 minutes against Oldham recently.

Harry Swarbrick captained the academy side at Warrington Wolves in his younger years before moving back to his previous club Salford where he saw some first-team action.

The 24-year-old hooker suffered an injury while at the Red Devils which halted his progress, so followed it up with a short stint of rugby union in Skipton.

“I was made up with getting a contract,” Swarbrick said. “I have put in 110 per cent since November when I was offered a trial.

“I fell out of love with rugby after coming away from Salford with an ACL injury. I had put so much work into getting myself back at the time.

“I moved into rugby union in Skipton and that is where I fell back in love with the game.”

The BAE procurement engineer’s thirst for high-level competition in the 13-man game took over, though, when he was offered a trial for Barrow Raiders, and he has earned this contract through hard work and determination.

“I want to thank Andy Gaffney, Paul Crarey, Steve Neale and everyone at the Raiders for this opportunity.

“Something that attracted me to the club was the quality of players in the squad who I can learn so much from, especially Ben Harrison and the Walne brothers who have played in the Super League.”

He is excited to learn from the experienced Nathan Mossop and expressed his desire for helping the team achieve their goals in any way he can.

Raiders’ director of rugby Andy Gaffney was glad to see the Chorley Panthers product arrive at the club and later made the decision to sign him.

“He came up to us and has been training and has never missed a session,” he said. “He was impressive in our game against Oldham where he played at hooker, but he can play centre, wing, and loose forward. That versatility is an asset to have in a small squad of players like ours. He has great pace and strength as well as the mindset to stick to the game plan.”

Fans can expect to see Swarbrick display his high-level running game and resilience in defence this season.