Sam Eseh to depart Wigan Warriors at season's end with Super League switch confirmed

Sam Eseh will depart Wigan Warriors at the end of the season after putting pen to paper on a three-year contract with Bradford Bulls from 2027.

The 22-year-old prop arrived at Wigan ahead of the 2024 campaign from Wakefield Trinity. He enjoyed loan spells with Castleford Tigers, Hull FC and Leeds Rhinos during his first season with the Warriors, while he spent the majority of last season back on loan at Hull FC, where he impressed.

Eseh earned heritage number 1,140 for Wigan earlier this year as he made his first-team debut against Rochdale Hornets in the Challenge Cup and has since made 14 appearances for Matt Peet’s side in all competitions, with 10 of those coming from the bench.

The Leeds-born front-rower will play out the rest of this season with the Warriors before linking up with Bradford on a three-year deal from next season.

“I’m very excited, having spoken to Jason (Hirst, CEO) and Kurt (Haggerty, head coach) about the direction the club is going in and seeing how passionate they were with their vision of the club, I feel like it’s the right time and the right challenge for me,” said Eseh. “I am excited for what’s ahead.

“They have shown that they’re a team that are here to compete in Super League, here to stay in the Super League and hopefully get up to the top of the table and compete.

“I like the way Kurt plays, he’s a great coach, and I think the way Bradford play will suit me a lot.

“The three-year deal is good. Every step in my career has shaped me into the player that I am now.

“I’m thankful to Wigan, and I have nothing but respect and great memories of the club and hope to make even more memories as the year passes by, but I am very excited to join Bradford. The club has a passionate fanbase, and I cannot wait to perform for them.”

Bradford coach Kurt Haggerty believes the signing of Eseh is a huge coup for the Bulls, who currently sit ninth in the Super League table, having won five of their 13 matches back in the top-flight so far.

“First of all, having met him a couple of times, he’s a fantastic young man,” said Haggerty. “He’s big, he’s athletic, he’s aggressive, and he suits everything we want as a middle for the Bradford Bulls.

“He’s been at some fantastic clubs, the likes of Hull, Wakefield and Wigan in particular, so he’s coming from good stock, and he’s got a good pedigree. He’s ultra professional, and I’m sure he’s going to come into our environment and thrive even more.

“There’s still a lot of coaching in Sam - he seems very coachable when I’ve spoken to him, and he understands it is exciting the way that we play rugby.

“We think there are a couple of parts of his game that we can help him unlock, so he’s going to be a really exciting player for the Bradford Bulls.”

Next up for Eseh and the Warriors is a trip to his former club Wakefield Trinity on Friday evening.