Sharks confirm Wright signing and re-sign Morris & Leutele

It has a been a busy day at Sharks headquarters, with the club announcing that current first-graders Ricky Leutele and John Morris will have signed new 1-year deals with the club, but also the signing of Bulldogs winger Jonathan Wright, on a two-year deal.

The signing of Wright, comes after the Sharks respected the decision of current veteran back Colin Best, to retire – with Wright fitting the plans that the team has for the future best.

Wright has hit career-best form in a resurgent Dogs side, and although the Bulldogs are disappointed to see him go, he departs the club with the best wishes from Bulldogs CEO, Todd Greenberg.

“Jono has been a tremendous addition to the club since joining us at the start of the 2011 season. He is a top character both on and off the field and will be a valuable addition for the Sharks.

“In his time at the club Jono has formed a lot of close friendships with the players and staff and on behalf of everyone associated with the Bulldogs, we wish Jono and his family all the best for the future and thank him for his contribution to our club”.

With the club in search of a back to fill the void left by Best for 2013, the Sharks acted quickly and signed Wright – with coach Shane Flanagan excited to have the versatile back on board for the next 2 years.

“Its great we’ve been able to get Jonathan to the club,” Flanagan said.

“He is comfortable playing centre or wing and has had a great year in what is obviously a pretty good Bulldogs side. He will bring plenty of strike power to our backline from next season.”

Leutele, who has filled in at centre due to a number of injuries has performed well, and was subsequently rewarded with a new 12-month contract.

For Morris, although he received offers from elsewhere, he made the decision to play for the Sharks for one more year.

“My focus has always been on staying in the NRL and with the Sharks,” Morris said.

“I’ve been here three seasons now and we been through some lean years but I can feel the team building for the future and I’m certainly happy to be a part of that. I really believe with my experience I can be a leader to the younger guys at the club.”