Workington Town have bulked up their pack with the addition of experienced international front-rower Sam Hopkins.

Hopkins spent last season with Toronto Wolfpack and will add further size and aggression to the side.

The Welsh international joined Toronto after six years with his hometown club Leigh, who he had helped to gain promotion to Super League.

He played 26 times in the top flight and developed a reputation for being an aggressive and tough competitor.

The 6ft2 forward joined the squad for training at Derwent Park on Thursday and met up with his old team-mate Sean Penkywicz.

Hopkins said: “I’ve heard good things about Town from Penky and I played a couple of games here on dual reg a good few years ago.

“I like what I’ve heard and I like the ambition for promotion after going so close last season.

“I think I can play a part in that goal and I’ve been impressed with the squad that’s been put together by the club.

“I can’t wait to get started and I’m really looking forward to the season ahead.”

Town director Barry White added: “Sam enjoyed his first session and we look forward to him joining a Town pack that should be up with the best in the league.

“It’s a tough league that we want to get out of.

“We’ll need the aggression and size that Sam and the others bring to compete with other teams that have recruited strongly.

“Our big guys should lay a great platform for our talented squad to play off and we can’t wait to get started against Oldham in just over a week’s time.”

Town are set to get their League One campaign under way at fellow promotion hopefuls Oldham next Sunday.

The Roughyeds are fancied as the team to beat in the division this season but their preparations for the opening day have been hit by the recent bad weather, with snow and ice causing their final preseason friendly against Newcastle Thunder to be cancelled.

Speaking to Oldham's official website, head coach Scott Naylor said: “At the very least I think we’ll be in the top three or four, but you’ve also to look at who is spending the most money.

“Of the teams that are generally expected to form the top four – Workington Town, Newcastle Thunder, Doncaster and us – Newcastle are spending the most and Workington are also spending more than we are.

“Last year the two sides that spent the most money (Bradford Bulls and York City Knights) went up comfortably so it will be interesting to see what happens."