Finn switches to the Wildcats

Actions from the Danny Jones Charity RL match, Halifax XIII v Rest of World XIII, at the Shay
Liam Finn — Actions from the Danny Jones Charity RL match, Halifax XIII v Rest of World XIII, at the Shay Liam Finn

The 31-year-old scrum-half and Ireland captain has joining the Wildcats on a two-year deal as the replacement for Australian Tim Smith, who was sacked earlier this month for gross misconduct.

Finn, who had a brief spell at Wakefield at the start of his professional career in 2004, is the fourth signing made by coach Brian Smith following the acquisition of Anthony England, Ben Shulver and Sean Morris.

“I want to come back and put a few wrongs right from the last time I was here as it didn’t really work out for me when I was younger,” Finn said.

“I’m looking forward to working with an experienced coach like Brian. It will be interesting to see what he does differently to other coaches.

“I’m hoping that my role as half-back will add some organisation and control into the side and will hopefully get the best out of the team moving forward.”

Finn also had a brief spell in Super League with his home-town club Halifax before going on to play at Championship level with Dewsbury and Featherstone.

He then gained a new lease of life when he followed coach Daryl Powell to Castleford two years ago.

He made 46 Super League appearances for the Tigers and helped them reach the Challenge Cup final at Wembley in 2014 but did not feature in their last four matches of the 2015 season.

Powell said: “Liam Finn has been a superb player for the Tigers over the past two years and has been a solid influence on the development of the team.

“He is a high quality bloke who is a pleasure to work with. I wish him all the best in his future career.”