Wakefield Trinity winger Tom Johnstone has signed a new four-and-a-half year deal with the club.
Johnstone, 22, made his debut for Trinity in 2015 and has since registered 51 tries in 63 appearances, including 15 in just 16 Super League games this campaign.
The flying-back is a highly rated player and had been linked with a move to a number of Super League clubs, including Leeds who are looking to replace the outgoing Ryan Hall ahead of 2019.
He was also named in the England RL 21-man elite performance squad by Wayne Bennett earlier this year as a reward for his fine performances at the start of the season as he made his comeback from the serious knee injury which prematurely ended his 2017 campaign.
However, his new contract will keep him at Trinity until at least the end of the 2022 season, which is a huge boost for Chris Chester’s side as they look to continue the progress the club has made in recent years.
Wakefield’s Tom Johnstone looks on. Photo credit: Sky Sports RL (@SkySportsRL on Twitter)On his new deal, Johnstone said: “It feels amazing [to sign a new contract], I’ve loved my time here. Coming through the academy I’ve always wanted to play for the first team and making that a reality has been a dream come true.”
“As soon as I was given the option to stay for another few years and extend my contract I pretty much jumped at it after Michael [Carter] contacted me and I can’t wait to see what happens over the next four years.”
Head coach Chris Chester added: “It’s fantatsic news to get it done so early and credit to Michael for getting it done so quickly.”
“It’s a massive resigning for the club and looking at the squad now we have pretty much have everybody we want tied down to long-term deals. We’ve got Max Jowitt tied down to a three year-deal, obviously Bill Tupou has a three-year deal and now Tom for [another] four-years. The future looks really bright here at Wakefield.”
Chester also admitted he was delighted to get Johnstone signed to a new deal considering “some of the speculation around our top, top players”, while confirming Wakefield are also in talks with Ben Jones-Bishop and Reece Lyne about extending their deals.
