Hull Daily Mail

FC ACE DWYER TO THE WIRE?

HULL COULD LOSE STAR TO RIVALS WARRINGTON

- By DAN TOMLINSON daniel tomlinson@reachplc.com @hulllive

HULL FC are at a high risk of losing livewire hooker Brad Dwyer, with Warrington Wolves emerging as an interested party in the battle for his services.

The Wire are resigned to seeing Daryl Clark join St Helens and have identified Dwyer as a potential replacemen­t to work in tandem with young England star Danny Walker.

Dwyer signed a one-year deal with Hull FC for this year, meaning he is off-contract at the end of the current season and now free to negotiate deals elsewhere.

And the Mail understand­s he has held talks with Warrington about a potential return to the club he left six years ago.

Dwyer, now 30, moved to Leeds Rhinos ahead of the 2018 season after an initial stint at the Halliwell Jones Stadium that saw him debut for the club in 2012.

During his time at the Wire he played in the 2016 Challenge

Cup Final defeat to the Black and Whites. He eventually won the trophy with Leeds in 2020.

His departure would be a bitter blow for Tony Smith and his rebuild of the squad, of which it was hoped Dwyer would be a part of.

The club launched contract talks a few weeks back but now are at real risk of losing him to his former club.

Dwyer is one of four hookers off-contract at Hull this season.

Veteran Danny Houghton and Fijian Joe Lovodua are also coming to the end of their existing deals, as well as youngster Denive Balmforth, who is on loan at Championsh­ip club Newcastle Thunder.

Lovodua appears a likely candidate to depart while Houghton, currently in a purple patch of form, is in the twilight of his career.

Balmforth’s future has not yet been determined but he was highly thought of when signed by the club.

Losing Dwyer, who was thought to be signing for St Helens earlier this year, would require Hull to go back to the drawing board with hooker a primary focus again alongside both middle and edge forwards.

The Black and Whites will still hope to tempt Dwyer to stay, but now face some stiff competitio­n from one of the biggest clubs in Super League.

 ?? JAMES HEATON/ NEWS IMAGES ?? Hull FC’S Brad Dwyer
JAMES HEATON/ NEWS IMAGES Hull FC’S Brad Dwyer

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