LEIGH Centurions have paid a five-figure transfer fee for their latest signing.

The champions have snared centre Greg Worthington from Grand Final runners-up Featherstone Rovers on a two-year full-time contract.

Worthington, aged 24, has established himself as consistently one of the top performers in the Kingstone Press Championship in the past four seasons and has scored 54 tries in 101 appearances for Rovers.

He was granted a release a year early from his existing two-year contract with Rovers in order to take up a new career move with Centurions.

Leigh Centurions head coach Paul Rowley said: “Greg is a player who has been identified by our coaching staff for quite some time.

"We enquired about him previously but he wasn’t available at those times. This time Greg has been the driver and when he was granted an early release from his contract we were delighted to get him on board.

“Greg is a strong player, a prolific try scorer and has impressed and developed during his stint at Featherstone.

"Maybe that has now reached a natural close and he is ready for a new challenge. He sees us as an ambitious club that matches his own ambitions and his addition to our already impressive back-line will see our intensity bar rise even higher as soon as we resume training for next season.”

A former Queensbury ARL product, he joined Featherstone after graduating through the academy ranks at Huddersfield Giants and has been involved with Rovers’ community programme as well as successfully completing a four-year apprenticeship as a welder.

Worthington said: “I’m really looking forward to getting stuck in at Leigh and getting some full-time training under my belt. Featherstone have been really good for me and I’ve really enjoyed my four years with the club.

“I’ve won silverware with them and had some good times there. Now I’m looking ahead to a new challenge with an ambitious club and I can’t wait to get started. Leigh have had an outstanding season and everything I’ve seen and heard about the club is positive.”