England star Tom Johnstone says he can’t wait to start bringing silverware back to Wakefield after rejoining the club on a four-year deal.
The prolific Catalans winger, 28, will return to Trinity at the end of the season with his long-touted move finally confirmed. The French club yesterday revealed the Dream Team wideman, established as one of Super League's leading talents, had turned down a substantial pay rise and marquee player status, when rejecting their offer of a new deal. And Wakefield tonight announced they had secured the brilliant player for a return to Belle Vue.
Although they are currently still in the Championship after last year’s relegation, new millionaire owner Matt Ellis has pumped in plenty of money to begin improving them in all aspects on and off the field. Daryl Powell's side are runaway Championship leaders, have reached the 1895 Cup final at Wembley and are ticking plenty of boxes when it comes to IMG's grading system.
They are fully expected to regain their Super League spot in 2025 under and have already secured England prop Mike McMeeken from Catalans for next season in one big statement about their ambitions. Persuading Johnstone, who scored 87 tries in 115 games first time around, to come back further illustrates just how serious they are.
He enjoyed a superb maiden season in Perpignan last year, scoring 28 tries in just 29 games, firing them to the Grand Final and regaining his England spot after a five-year absence, starring in the series win against Tonga. Johnstone has scored five tries in 11 games this time around and Catalans boss Steve McNamara was desperate to retain him amid plenty of interest from across the sport. But Johnstone maintained: "I’m delighted to be returning to Wakefield Trinity next year.
"The club means a lot to me and I’ve been following everything over the past 12 months and since Matt took over the club. It’s incredibly exciting for everyone involved. I truly believe the club is building something special. When me and my wife decided we wanted to return home to England I spoke to Powelly, Matt and Millsy.
"I loved the ambition and the direction which the club are aiming for and knew that it was something I had to be a part of. I have a lot of brilliant memories over the years and I know how passionate the fans are. I'm hoping when I return I can help to create more and bring success to this proud and historic club.”
Wakefield were regular battling for survival in his first spell but it is hoped they could become one of Super League's big-hitters in the years to come. Head coach, Powell enthused: “This is our second international player announcement coming hard on the heels of Mike McMeekan. It shows a clear trajectory for the club in terms of player recruitment of high quality players at the top of their games.
"Tom is one of the best wingers in the game and we are delighted to bring him back to help drive us towards our collective goals. He’s strong, quick and a world class finisher. I look forward to working with him in the coming years.”
Recruitment manager Ste Mills added: “We are delighted to get another huge signing for Wakefield Trinity over the line. Tom will be another world-class acquisition for the club. His reputation has grown over the last couple of years to be the best winger in Super League. Tom will add a lot of quality to our squad and it’s huge news to land another one of our key targets alongside Mike McMeeken. We are delighted to have brought him home.”