Giants sign Great Britain forward

Huddersfield Giants have signed Josh Jones for an undisclosed fee

Huddersfield Giants have completed the signing of Great Britain powerhouse forward Josh Jones on a one-year deal from Hull FC for an undisclosed fee. The 183cm, 100kg back-rower made 94 appearances for St Helens and 114 times for Salford in spells at the clubs from 2012-2015 and 2016-2019 respectively and has made 3 appearances for Great Britain in their tour of New Zealand & Papua New Guinea. Josh Jones will arrive at the club for the start of pre-season training on January 4th. 

Huddersfield Giants Head Coach, Ian Watson said: "Knowing Josh from my time at Salford, I know just how good of a player he is. What he'll bring to the club is genuine quality, which has been key to all our moves and a winning mentality. At Salford, he increased the intensity of training and the way in which we trained, and changed the way we went about match situations. 

"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."

Watson added that the desire to compete for an international starting berth in 2021, a World Cup year, was pivotal to his decision to come to the club. 

"Josh wants to be an international loose forward, that's where he wants to play going forward and he wants to be pushing for a place in Shaun Wane's World Cup squad next year. He got his appetite for playing at loose in the Great Britain tour of New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, and it's a big motivating factor in him wanting to come over to the club - he knows that working with Greg Brown, he'll be able to get into the right condition to compete for that position."

Watson also took the time to pay testament to Giants Chairman, Ken Davy, who was instrumental in the move. 

"I'd like to thank Ken Davy for helping make this addition possible also. Ken's supported this club over the years immensely, and he's backing us now to bring in quality above quantity in the squad. He's helping us bring in genuine winners like Josh, who's played in two Grand Finals and has a wealth of experience."

Josh Jones said: "I've known for years that the club has had a great infrastructure and base here. Speaking to Richard Thewlis, I was really keen to come over with Ian Watson and Greg Brown arriving and I'm impressed by the ambition of the club. 

"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. I'm excited: I can't wait to join up with the boys on January 4th and get going. 

"The thing I like most about Ian Watson is that he is a winner. He wants to win and that's why we built up a good relationship over the last few years and he pushes his sides to achieve that. He'll back his defence and he's not come here to be a mid-table team. We're here to challenge and that's what attracted me here - There's lots of potential."