Hunslet sign veteran winger Wayne Reittie from Batley Bulldogs after loan spell

Reittie, 33, began his career in Leeds Rhinos’ academy and has also played for Doncaster, York and Halifax.

Born in London, he was raised in Belle Isle and played his junior rugby with Hunslet Parkside.

“[Coach] Alan Kilshaw’s putting a good squad together and very good things can happen at this club,” Reittie predicted.

He said: “Things weren’t going too well for me at Batley, where I couldn’t commit to training because my job took me all over the country, but the then-Hunslet coach Gary Thornton took a punt on me at a time when I needed someone to show some belief in me.

“If it hadn’t been for him I might not be playing rugby league at all.

“I was close to calling it a day as I’d stopped enjoying my rugby.

“GT persuaded me to come to Hunslet and it helped that I’m also mates with Dom Brambani, Alex Rowe and Alex Brown, which helped me settle in as a loan player.

“I don’t have a bad word to say about Gary Thornton and I can only speak equally well of Alan Kilshaw, who took over from GT at a difficult time.”

Reittie added: “Alan has been very respectful to me and he has been the same to the rest of the boys as a group.

“He’s good at giving me a bit of extra responsibility, which encourages me to lead by example.

“As a senior player, I think I react well to that.

“I’m enjoying it and I’m very happy to have got next year sorted.”

Kilshaw said: “Making Wayne a Hunslet player was a priority for me.

“His performances last season were exceptional and, having been a great servant to Batley for so long, to come into a side halfway through a season and hit the ground running shows how good he is.

“His commitment to playing and training is an example to all.

“He covers a lot of miles during the week in his job and makes a big effort to get to sessions on time - in fact, the last session we had he travelled six hours from Gloucester to attend.”

“We are not just getting a good player - we are getting a quality person, a good family man who is another locally-based player who wants to play for the badge.

“His experience will be vital for the younger members of the squad next season.”

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