Cullen snaps up talented twosome (From Warrington Guardian)

Cullen snaps up talented twosome

WARRINGTON Wolves have snapped up talented back row forward Andy Bracek from St Helens and given Academy ace Steve Pickersgill a full time contract.

Head coach Paul Cullen believes that both teenagers have the potential to be mainstays of the Warrington pack for many years to come.

He is delighted to have taken the number of England Academy Under 18s players in his ranks to three - following the capture of Simon Grix in September - and is planning to swoop for another player of a similar ilk.

Cullen said: "We are seriously interested in a half back of a similar age group but we can't dictate the pace as he's contracted to another club.

"That was also the case with Simon Grix and Andy Bracek.

"We had to pay fees for them both but I believe that we have got excellent value for money.

"We paid Saints £22,500 for Andy and that is a very good price for a player of his talent."

Cullen sees Bracek, aged 17, as a second rower with the ability to play at loose forward and the size to operate as a prop.

He made his Super League debut against Bradford Bulls last season having signed for Saints from Wigan's scholarship programme in 2002.

Bracek played with 18-year-olds Pickersgill, a prop who has been on Wolves' books since the age of 14, and Grix, who can play in a variety of positions but is considered by the club to be a natural loose forward, in England Academy Under 18s' tour of Australia and New Zealand earlier in the year.

All three players will earn less than £20,000 a year. They therefore fall under the restrictions imposed by the Rugby Football League's 20/20/30 rule.

Meanwhile, Cullen has been greatly encouraged by the attitude of his players in pre-season training.

Fourteen players began phase one of Wolves' pre-season programme at the start of November and the rest of the squad will join them either at the beginning of December or at the turn of the year.

Cullen said: "The players are looking very keen, very ambitions and the work that I set them to do in October has been treated with respect and done well."