Barrow Raiders have announced that outside back Matt Costello has signed a new two-year deal with the club.
He becomes the second player to sign a deal which extends to the end of the 2026 season – hooker John Wood was the first last week.
The 26-year-old Costello joined the Raiders on a permanent basis ahead of the 2024 campaign, having spent the three seasons prior with Betfred Super League side Salford Red Devils.
The former St Helens academy graduate – who enjoyed a brief loan stint at the Raiders in 2022 – has gone on to feature 21 times this year, scoring five tries.
A feature of his displays this season has been a willingness to play in unfamiliar positions – notably in the halves, as a second-rower and also at loose forward during times of player unavailability.
On his new deal, Costello said: “I am really happy to get a deal done and extend my stay with the Raiders. I’m enjoying my rugby, so it was an easy decision to make.
“The deal got sorted really quickly as I’ve had conversations with the club about re-signing very early on in the year. Barrow are really supportive of my career outside of rugby, so it was a really easy deal to get done.
“This season, our form hasn’t been where we’d have liked, but it’s a new team with a massive turnover of players from last year.
“I’m hoping we can build on this year with some good additions during the winter, and become a really competitive Championship side with the quality we have in our team.”
Barrow Raiders head coach Paul Crarey said: “It’s great news that Matt has agreed to stay for a further two years.
“Matt is another player who has come in from a Super League club and led by example, both on the training pitch and out on the field.
“His versatility and willingness to play anywhere to help the team succeed is a great example to set for all our players. Matt has been a great leader, and all the coaching staff love working alongside him.”
Director of rugby Andy Gaffney said: “Having someone as knowledgeable and experienced as Matt to help improve our younger players is incredibly important.
“His performances are consistently at a high level and there’s still so much that he can offer us, so we’re delighted that he has committed for another two years.
“Retaining our core group of senior players is a huge boost too. Having him agree to new terms off the back of Josh Wood’s extended deal is a good sign, not just for the rest of this season but for the two years to follow.”
Costello has been recovering from a torn knee ligament injury and has been out for a few weeks.
Barrow travel to Featherstone on Sunday in their latest Championship clash and coach Paul Crarey has named his 21 strong squad.
Ryan Brown returns to the squad and Delaine Gittens-Bedward will also make the trip after serving his suspension.
James Pye has recovered from a concussion he picked up in the Dewsbury Rams fixture and he will also be included in the travelling party.
Max Anderson-Moore, Kavan Rothwell and Razor Silva all make way this weekend.
Squad is: Luke Broadbent, Ryan Brown, Andrew Bulman, Greg Burke, Brett Carter, Max Clarke, Luke Cresswell, Ellis Gillam, Delaine Gittens-Bedward, James Greenwood, Ryan Johnston, James Pye, Ryan Shaw, Aaron Smith, Jarrad Stack, Shane Toal, Brad Walker, Tom Walker, Tom Wilkinson, Josh Wood, Greg Worthington.
