WHITEHAVEN have beaten stiff competition from fierce rivals Workington to the signing of highly-rated Glenn Riley.

The hulking prop forward, of Moor Row, has been allowed to leave London Broncos, and it is believed Huddersfield Giants were among those monitoring the 23-year-old.

Bradford Bulls were also mooted to be interested in Riley, who rejected a contract offer from Workington to sign at The Recre.

The move is a real statement of intent, and brings Riley back to his home town, having come through the ranks at Wath Brow Hornets, before signing for Super League’s Warrington Wolves.

And England’s top flight is exactly where Haven chiefs expect Riley to end up.

Riley made around 20 appearances for Warrington, with his try-scoring debut coming in a 74-4 win over Keighley in the Challenge Cup.

He started playing while at St Benedict’s School, and went on to have a stunning amateur career where he starred for Great Britain Community Lions, England, and captained Cumbria’s under-18 side to a national title.

Riley’s family supported Egremont, but he chose to run out for Wath Brow as most of his friends played there.

He also had a stint in Haven’s youth scheme, and signed his first professional contract with Warrington in 2010 with a dual-reg stint at Swinton Lions.

In a statement issued exclusively to The Whitehaven News , club officials couldn’t hide their delight in netting their man.

James Robinson, director of football, said: “Glenn will add size and forcefulness to our pack.

“We are getting a good pack of forwards together, and once they do their job, we have the backs with skill and pace to finish our chances.

“It’s great to see Glenn play for his home-town club. His signature was keenly fought over. We had to do a lot of business over the phone, which wasn’t ideal, but we are absolutely delighted for the club and the fans that Glenn has signed.

“Thanks is due to the other committee members for their efforts putting this incredible deal together.”