Josh Jones has moved to Huddersfield Giants from Hull FC; Great Britain forward has agreed a one-year contract; Head coach Ian Watson also returned to former club Salford Red Devils to sign Luke Yates
Thursday 24 December 2020 17:12, UK
Huddersfield have signed Great Britain international Josh Jones from Super League rivals Hull FC for an undisclosed fee.
The 27-year-old forward, who has been capped three times by his country, has agreed a one-year deal with the Giants.
"What he'll bring to the club is genuine quality, which has been key to all our moves, and a winning mentality," Huddersfield head coach Ian Watson, who was previously Jones' boss at Salford Red Devils, told the club website:
"He's extremely competitive, he offers attacking prowess, offloads and a quick play-the-ball. He's also one of the best defensive players in the competition, he really understands the game."
Jones, who began his career with St Helens, believes there is plenty of potential at the Giants.
"I'm impressed by the ambition of the club," Jones said. "There's a great base here to win something and compete, and Ian Watson spoke to me about his goals and the clubs ambition, which really drove me to come and sign here.
"We're here to challenge and that's what attracted me here. There's lots of potential."
There's a great base here to win something and compete, and Ian Watson spoke to me about his goals and the clubs ambition, which really drove me to come and sign here.
Huddersfield followed up with a second signing later on Christmas Eve as Watson returned to former club Salford to bring in forward Luke Yates on a two-year deal.
The 25-year-old Australian made 18 appearances for the Red Devils in 2020 after joining from the London Broncos, helping Salford to the Challenge Cup Final.
"Luke is and was amongst the best middles in the competition last year and is definitely one of the hardest working players you will ever come across," Watson said.
"His appetite for the contest is shown in his work ethic for his team-mates in defence and his attitude to turn up for the tough carries. Luke was a number one target and I am over the moon with Luke joining us at the Giants."
For his part, Yates revealed the opportunity to play for Watson again was key to his decision.
"The main motivation for me was to work with Ian Watson, we have a long history even though we've only worked together for a year," Yates said.
"He tried to sign me when I signed for the Broncos, he signed me to Salford and when the opportunity opened up for me to work with him again, I knew I wanted to join the club."
Jones and Yates' arrivals come after Watson boosted his options in Huddersfield's back line with the signing of Ricky Leutele from Melbourne Storm last week.
Centre Leutele previously played in Super League for Toronto Wolfpack, helping them win promotion from the Championship in 2019 and making seven appearances in all competitions for the Canadian club this year, scoring two tries.
The former Cronulla Sharks man returned to Australia following Toronto's withdrawal from Super League, joining eventual NRL champions the Storm until the end of the season, but became another addition to the Giants' squad since Watson was appointed head coach.
