Last updated at 11:32, Wednesday, 17 October 2012

Workington Town have pulled off a major coup by signing former Hull FC and Leeds Rhinos prop Ewan Dowes on a two-year deal.

Ewan Dowes

Dowes, 31, spent nine seasons with Hull and made 294 appearances for the club, winning a Challenge Cup winners’ medal alongside Town’s Jamie Thackray in 2005.

He played his last game for Hull against the Rhinos in the Super League play-offs last year.

Low Hesket-based Dowes went to Australia in February and spent a season with Thirroul Butchers in the Illawarra Division, also playing for Illawarra Cutters in the New South Wales Cup. And he tasted success Down Under, winning a Grand Final with Thirroul.

But after the birth of son Ethan five weeks ago, Dowes and his wife Amy decided to return home and settle back in Cumbria.

“We’ve only been back a couple of weeks and I wanted to stay in Cumbria and play my rugby here,” Dowes told News & Star Sport. “You go with your gut feeling, and my old team-mates Thacks [Thackray] and Luppy [Lupton] couldn’t speak more highly of the club.

“I’ve got a lot of mates in the Championship and they’ve told me it’s a lot more physical than Super League and that I’m looking forward to,” added the 6ft 2in 17-stone prop. “It’s going to be tough and you have to be mentally and physically prepared.

“There was a little interest from Super League since I’ve returned but nothing concrete. We wanted to stay in Cumbria near my family and it’s not far from Amy’s family who live in Leeds,” added Dowes, who also played alongside Town winger Mark Calderwood while at Leeds.

Town joint-coach Gary Charlton was delighted with the signing and said: “Ewan’s been there, done it and worn the T-shirt, so to speak. He’s a leader and a talker and he’s going to be very good for Workington Town.

“Ewan’s a big piece in the jigsaw and we all know he can play rugby league. We were looking for a good prop who would complement the pack and now we’ve got that in Ewan.”

And Town vice-chairman Mark Fryer, who carried out lengthy negotiations with Dowes, added: “I’m really pleased Ewan’s decided to sign for the club. He’s a fantastic addition to the squad.

“Ewan’s record in the game is exceptional and I’m sure he’ll do good things for Workington Town.”

First published at 20:50, Tuesday, 16 October 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk