Eels confirm signings of English duo

The speculation started about a month ago in Wigan that the two were set to sign deals and the Parramatta Eels have today confirmed that English duo Gareth Hock and Lee Mossop have both signed 2-year deals with the club.

Hock, who is currently on loan at Widnes from Wigan, has played in 135 games for Wigan and has played a total of 9 matches for Great Britan and England collectively.

Hock knows that the NRL is the best of the best and he cannot wait to challenge himself on that stage, with the hard-nosed back-rower receiving some friendly advice from friend Adrian Morley.

“Playing in the NRL is the biggest challenge you can have in rugby league, playing against the best week in week out,” Hock said.

“Adrian Morley is a good friend of mine and he has told me Ricky Stuart’s coaching style will suit the type of player I am, so I am really excited about coming on board.”

Mossop is equally excited at the new opportunity and at just 24 years of age, he is a rising star of the English Super League, with the prop playing in 95 games for Wigan to date, as well as making his English debut last year.

“I have always aspired to one day playing in the NRL and the fact that my dream has become a reality with a team with such a rich history like Parramatta is an added bonus,” Mossop said.

“The club is undergoing a new beginning with a new coach in Ricky Stuart at the helm and I am really excited and honoured that I have been chosen to be a part of that.”

No-one is more excited than Eels CEO Ken Edwards, however, with the Eels boss pleased that the club have signed the hard-nosed, no-nonsense forward in Hock and the skilful prop Lee Mossop.

“We are ecstatic to be signing two international forwards in Gareth Hock and Lee Mossop,” said Pirtek Parramatta Eels CEO Ken Edwards.

“Players of this calibre are few and far between on the player market so to be able to welcome these 2 individuals to the Eels Family says a lot about where the Parramatta Eels are at as a club and where we plan to go in the future.”

For coach Ricky Stuart, who fought hard along with recruitment manager Peter Nolan to get the duo at the club, he is pleased to have added them to his 2014 roster.

“This has been a long and thought out process and having both Gareth and Lee here with us at the Eels is a great addition to our plans as a club moving forward. I’m really looking forward to working with both of the boys,” Stuart said.