JON Clarke will leave his role as Warrington Wolves’ head of performance at the end of the season.

The former hooker, who spent 11 years with The Wire as a player, will take up a role with England’s rugby union team to help with their preparations for next year’s Rugby World Cup in Japan.

Clarke was brought back to The Halliwell Jones Stadium as head of strength and conditioning in 2015 by then head coach Tony Smith, with Steve Price naming him as head of performance ahead of this year.

The 39-year-old says he will be “forever indebted” to the club and rugby league in general as he leaves to join the 15-man code.

“I’ve been involved at Warrington for over 13 years, so it’s been a massive part of my life and I’ve loved every minute of it,” he said.

“I’ve had the time of my life doing this job.

“I’ll be forever indebted to rugby league and Warrington Wolves.

“The experiences I’ve had as a player and coach here are what have got me to this job now at international level.

“I’d like to thank everyone at the club including players, staff, fans, Simon Moran, the Board in particular Stuart Middleton and Mike Lomax, Paul Cullen, Tony Smith, Steve Price and my family for their fantastic support during my time at the club.

“I wish everyone involved with the club the best of luck in 2019 and beyond, and I’ll still be supporting and watching the Wolves every week.”

Price himself labelled Clarke as “one of the best in his field.”

“Since day one when I arrived, Jon and I have formed a strong bond,” he said.

“I’ve come across a fair few heads of performance in my time and he’s certainly one of the best in that field.

“He’s extremely hard-working and understands the intricacies of what high performance looks like.

“He understands rugby league like no other and I’ve loved every minute of working with him.”