Widnes vikings have confirmed that Ryan Lannon has been released from his contract with immediate effect, whilst also confirming the signing of Morgan McWhirter until the end of 2026.
29 year old English forward Ryan Lannon made 17 appearances for the Vikings, scoring 2 tries. However, this was clearly not enough as the club stated “he was unable to meet the expectations outlined in his contract” , resulting in the termination of his contract and his release from the club, shortly afterwards, becoming an Oldham player.
Widnes certainly didn’t want any gaps to be left in the team though, after Lannon’s departure, the signing of Australian forward McWhirter was confirmed, his contract running up until the end of 2026. The 23 year old Australlian has previously played for the Mackay Cutters, Sunshine Coast Falcons, and Townsville Blackhawks before moving to the Super XIII in 2024.
The clubs head coach, Allan Coleman says that it’s “fantastic to get Morgan over the line” after signing him from the Limoux Grizzlies.
“We’ve kept a close eye on him and have been working with his agent for a couple of months now”
Coleman clearly favors McWhirter and believes in his ability as he claims that McWhirter is renowned for “being really aggressive and having great go-forward”, certainly not holding back on his praise for the Australlian.
McWhirter himself spoke on his arrival saying ” I’m so excited to be joining the team for the rest of the season and 2026.”
“I can’t wait to get over there, meet all the fans, and hear some of the brilliant chants that come with English culture.”
McWhirter would likely act as a replacement for Lannon, someone who was unable to stay at Widnes for particularly long, not even seeing out his original contract.
