The Toronto Wolfpack strengthened their squad Thursday with six new signings, including Samoan international centre Ricky Leutele and veteran England forward Jon Wilkin.
Also joining the transatlantic rugby league team are Warrington Wolves second-rower Bodene Thompson, Castleford Tigers prop Gadwin Springer and Widnes Vikings scrum half Joe Mellor and second-rower Tom Olbison.
It’s an instant injection of Super League experience as the Wolfpack prepare for another crack at promotion to the top flight. Toronto, which topped the second-tier Betfred Championship this season, fell 4-2 to London Broncos in a tense promotion showdown Oct. 7 at Lamport Stadium.
The 28-year-old Leutele joins Australian forward Darcy Lussick as the Wolfpack’s so-called marquee players. Like the designated player in Major League Soccer, only a portion of a marquee player’s salary counts against a club’s salary cap.
Under Rugby Football League rules, marquee players only count £150,000 ($255,480) against the 2019 salary cap of £2-million, no matter what they are paid.
Leutele and Wilkin had both confirmed their move to Toronto prior to Thursday’s official club announcement.