Stefan Ratchford: Warrington Wolves versatile back signs two-year extension
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Stefan Ratchford is in his testimonial season with Warrington, having done 10-plus years at the club
England international Stefan Ratchford has signed a two-year contract extension with Warrington Wolves to run until the end of the 2024 season.
The 31-year-old has covered multiple positions for the Wire since joining from Salford in 2012 - and now has 83 tries and 461 goals in 290 appearances.
Wire have lost Joe Philbin for the rest of the season with a knee injury.
But Daryl Powell's men have made a new signing, teenager Matty Nicholson from Wigan on a three-year deal.
The 18-year-old forward, who scored twice on his first Super League appearance last month, can play in the loose or in the back row.
Forward Philbin, 27, sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury against Hull FC on Friday.
He has now undergone an operation, with an expected spell on the sidelines of between six to nine months.
Ratchford, who has more than 1,500 career points, is seventh on Warrington's all-time scorers list.
"With the way the season's gone, Warrington have put pretty much everyone on hold to see what the craic was," Ratchford told BBC Radio Merseyside.
"It was a bit of a worrying time but I was quite lucky as I had interest from a few other clubs. That turned my head a little bit.
"When Warrington come in with their offer it made it that bit easier.
"The easy thing to do would have been to go elsewhere and look for a new challenge, but I had a good think about it and the right decision was to stay where I am and have been for so long."