Winger Ben Jones-Bishop has praised Salford Red Devils fans for their support after signing a one-year deal with Wakefield.
The 27-year-old won two Grand Finals in 2011 and 2012 with former club Leeds Rhinos, and despite 25 appearances and 16 tries suffered a “frustrating” season with the Red Devils.
He tweeted to fans this morning as news of the move broke.
Massive thanks to the Salford fans for their support through a frustrating year. Despite some indifferent performances the support never….
— Ben Jones-Bishop (@BenJonesbishop) November 5, 2015
….Wavered. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 Also thanks to my teammates, a great bunch of lads, and the staff too. Wish you all the best going forward ✌🏾️ — Ben Jones-Bishop (@BenJonesbishop) November 5, 2015
Wildcats head coach Brian Smith said the capture was “another highlight of the preparations for our progress in Super League 2016”.
“He’s a vastly experienced and proven Super League back who is young, fast and coming back home to West Yorkshire,” said Smith.
“The try scoring and try saving potential through his speed and anticipation is an exciting prospect for all in the Wildcats army.
“Personally, I can’t wait to start working on the attacking combinations for Ben with players like Anthony Tupou with his offloads, Jacob Miller’s stepping breaks and the crafty passes and kicks of Liam Finn.”
Speaking on his move to Belle Vue, Jones-Bishop said: “I am very excited about the challenge that lies ahead at Wakefield and playing a role in helping the club build for the future.”
This week Salford themselves announced a host of new signings, including NRL recruits Robert Lui and Ben Murdoch-Masila, as well as Australian ace winger Justin Carney, who joins on a year-long loan deal from Castleford Tigers.
The 27-year-old scored 63 tries in 62 appearances for the West Yorkshire side.
Head coach Ian Watson said: “There are few stronger players in the League than Justin Carney and we are really looking forward to working with and getting him on track with our philosophy and goals here this season.
“Justin is an immense athlete with a strike rate that is up there with the best in the world. He is exciting to watch and our fans are going to enjoy watching him run at defences week in week out.”
On joining the Red Devils, Carney said: “I’m happy to be joining the Red Devils and looking forward to a new challenge. I’m ready to get started and really rip in ahead of the 2016 season.”
The Red Devils arrive back into training over the coming weeks as they ramp up for the season opener in February.
Main image: © SteveMcPix
