The Catalans Dragons have confirmed the signature of Elliott Whitehead.
The English forward had already all but confirmed he would leave the Canberra Raiders at the end of the season, but it was unclear if he was going to continue playing and see out his career with the Dragons in the south of France.
It has now been confirmed by the English Super League club that the veteran forward has signed a one-year deal to see out his career with the club.
๐พ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฒ pic.twitter.com/udPPsiIyOs
— Dragons Catalans (@DragonsOfficiel) July 11, 2024
Whitehead had previously expressed his desire to be with the Raiders in an off-field capacity following his on-field retirement, and he left the door open for that in announcing his departure from the Green Machine.
โFirst of all, I want to thank Ricky and club for the opportunity to come to the NRL back in 2016 and chase my dream,โ Whitehead said in a club statement confirming his exit from the Raiders at the end of the 2024 season.
โI've been able to have a wonderful career with the Raiders and to finish my time with the club as Captain is something I'm very proud of.โ
โI also want to thank all of the players that I've played alongside in my time with the club and I'm really looking forward to finishing my last year here with the current group and continue to work hard with them to get back into finals contention.โ
โThe players, staff and club made me feel welcome since the moment I arrived and the with my family on the other side of the world the club has become my second family.โ
โI also want to thank the clubs' members and fans for their support. They've been behind me since I arrived and have always made me feel part of Canberra.โ
โI truly believe this club and playing group have a bright future ahead of them over the next few years and I look forward to watching them continue to grow and challenge for premierships. Hopefully I can come back and be a part of the club in some capacity in the future.โ
Whitehead, who is current club captain of the Raiders, has played over 350 professional matches in his career, with 198 of those coming for the Raiders.
He will notch up his 200th match for the Green Machine in the coming weeks. Club CEO Don Furner said Whitehead had been a wonderful ambassador for the club.
โElliott has been a wonderful ambassador on and off the field for our club and as he approaches 200 matches for the Raiders its important to note that he has also played over 350 matches in total which is a remarkable achievement,โ Furner said.
โHe is our current club Captain and has been a player that has always given everything for the jersey every time he's taken the field.โ
In addition to his 198 matches with the Raiders, Whitehead has played 109 games for the Bradford Bulls and 68 for the Catalans Dragons between 2013 and 2015 prior to him joining the Raiders, with the veteran forward also playing 27 Tests for England and another four for Great Britain.
