Wolves confirm return of Penny

WARRINGTON Wolves have confirmed that former winger Kevin Penny will be re-joining his hometown club ahead of next season.
The club has captured the former Wolves’ winger on a one-year deal for the 2014 season plus a two-year option.
Penny, 26, who says his new opportunity “has still not sunk in” made his Super League debut for the Wolves back in 2007 and had a memorable season in the top flight being named in that year’s Dream Team. Since 2009 he has played on loan for Widnes and Harlequins, signing for Wakefield Wildcats ahead of the 2011 season.
Now the Wolves have re-signed Penny from partner club Swinton Lions where he made a name for himself in the side last year and has carried that form into this season.
Wolves’ head of coaching and rugby Tony Smith said: “We are delighted to give Kevin another opportunity. He’s gone away, had to go back a level or two to learn some more about Rugby League and we think it’s terrific that he’s got another chance to come back here and show what he’s learnt. We’ve been monitoring him for the last couple of years and watched his progress at Swinton; he’s turned into a terrific player. He’s always had very good attributes but he’s now learnt how to put these into place on a more regular basis which was the key for Kevin; he needed to learn more about Rugby League in order to apply them.”
Penny added: “It’s not fully sunk in yet. I am made up to be coming back into the full-time environment after a couple of years working in a normal job as well. It won’t be like going to a new club where you need to settle into the surroundings and facilities as I know a lot already so it will be easier for me and I’m looking forward to it. I’ve always said that Tony’s been the best coach I’ve ever had and we have remained friends. It means a lot to me and gives me a lot of confidence knowing that he wants me to come back to the club.
“Since I last played at Warrington I’ve learnt a lot about rugby and life itself which will benefit me a lot more this time around. Gary Chambers was unbelievable for me through the academy at Warrington and he’s done an incredible job at Swinton too; I was made up when he came over and he’s been important for me over the last year.”
Swinton head coach Gary Chambers commented: “I’m more pleased for Kevin this second time round. He didn’t know how to handle it the first time which had an impact on his game. He’s now taken time to evaluate and mature; he set a lot of targets and fulfilled them. Kev’s got a good knowledge of the game now. He’s well rounded in all areas and understands the game a lot more. He’s still got that enthusiasm which is infectious and there’s still improvement in him too.”