Barrow Raiders have signed the former Super League Grand Final winner Aaron Smith on a two-year deal ahead of the 2024 season.
The 27-year-old hooker joins the club 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 Barrow player Greg Burke.
Over the past two seasons, Smith has played his rugby at Leigh, while also enjoying a brief loan spell at Rochdale Hornets, where he scored twice in six appearances.
This move has been made possible by the support of the newly-formed Blue and White Knights consortium, whose financial input has allowed the club to assemble a squad capable of competing in the Betfred Championship this season.
On the move, Smith said: “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!
“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.
“I had a chat with Paul Crarey earlier this week, and it got me excited for what we could do. Now it’s all about looking forward to getting started.”
Barrow Raiders head coach 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 9’s will complement each other perfectly, and we are excited to see him play in a Barrow shirt.”
Director of rugby Andy Gaffney said: “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.”
