Toronto Wolfpack continue off-season roster additions, with more Leigh recruits

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Rowley is no stranger to mining his Leigh connections.

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Former Leigh players already on the Wolfpack roster include Bob Beswick, Ryan Brierley, Andrew Dixon, Jake Emmitt, Liam Kay, James Laithwaite, Fuifui Moimoi, Jonny Pownall, Richard Whiting and Greg Worthington.

“At the end of the day I recruit familiarity, I’ve done it before,” Rowley said from England. “There’s a reason I signed them in the past and there’s a reason why I’ve brought them to this club.”

Adding to the intrigue of the season opener is the fact that former Wolfpack captain Craig Hall has signed with Leigh. And that the teams are moving in different directions.

Toronto was promoted to the Championship after winning the third-tier Kingstone Press League 1 in its inaugural season with a 20-1-1 record. 

Leigh was relegated from the elite Super League after losing the so-called “Million Pound Game” 26-10 to Catalan Dragons in September. Paterson started that game while Hopkins was on the interchange bench for Leigh, which led 6-4 at the half.

Paterson, 30, played for NRL sides Wests Tigers, Newcastle and North Queensland in his native Australia before quitting the sport to try boxing. He went on to play in England for Salford and Hull Kingston Rovers and explored options as an NFL kicker and an actor.

“I like to travel and see new things so this will be a great opportunity for me and my family to do that whilst doing what I love,” Paterson said in a statement. “This opportunity was one I just couldn’t pass up.”

Hopkins, a 27-year-old prop, scored 56 tries for Leigh. He joined his hometown club in 2011 and been there ever since barring one year with Wigan Warriors and Workington Town.

Higson, 30, debuted for Leigh in 2009 and as 40 tries in just under 100 appearances.

Previous off-season moves saw the Wolfpack add Australians Dave Taylor and Josh McCrone, Albanian-born Olsi Krasniqi, Fiji international Ashton Sims and England’s Tom Armstrong, Andy Ackers and Joe Westerman.

Armstrong is also a Leigh alumnus.

Gone are Steve Crossley, Tom Dempsey, Shaun Pick, Rhys Jacks and Sean Penkywicz.

Rowley, who says he may be looking for one more outside back, now has a roster of some 28 or 29 players.

The team is currently at camp in England at its Manchester training centre. Injuries and illness have taken a toll already with Brierley the most recent to go down, diagnosed with glandular fever last week. Halfback Blake Wheeler has been battling a hamstring injury.

The most players Rowley has had on the field at any one time has been 22.

The team starts its Christmas break Saturday. Training resumes Jan. 3.

Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press