Simon Woolford is delighted to have added depth to the Huddersfield Giants halves by signing talented Tom Holmes on a three-year contract.

The 22-year-old was with Featherstone in the Championship , having started his career at Castleford, and he is currently in rehab following knee surgery.

Aussie head coach Woolford, however, believes when he is back to full fitness he will put pressure on Danny Brough , Lee Gaskell and promising youngster Oliver Russell for a half-back slot.

“Everyone at Featherstone and Castleford had a very high opinion of him and we’re very excited to have him on board,” said Woolford, who has beaten off interest from a number of Super League clubs to get the signature.

“He’s certainly going to make our squad a lot stronger as far as our halves are concerned, so we feel really lucky we’ve been able to sign him and I’m looking forward to working with him.

“He’s well into his rehab now, he’s over a month post-op, so you’d like to think by the new year he’ll be on the way back.

“We’ve been monitoring it already and he’s been coming along nicely, so we’ll have to take it as it comes.”

On the squad situation, Woolford added: “We’ve currently got Danny Brough and Lee Gaskell in the halves at the moment and Oliver Russell coming through, so Tom will add some depth to the position.

“He’s a tough kid with a lot of good attributes as far as a half is concerned, and he’ll fit into our squad nicely.

“We just need to get through this year and then we’ll look forward to him coming in November.”

Giants head coach Simon Woolford

Holmes got six tries in 18 appearances a Featherstone missed out on the top four.

He suffered the knee injury at the Summer Bash and was set to be out until April, but he believes he’s ahead of schedule.

“The rugby the Giants are playing is really exciting, it’s a brand that I think will suit me as a player,” Holmes told the club’s official website.

“I’ve seen some of the games recently and they’re playing so well, Simon Woolford has brought a lot to the club and I’m looking forward to working under him and hopefully we can go one step further next season.

“Having Danny Brough in the squad will be massive for me, I’m sure that will help bring me on leaps and bounds.

“There’s Lee Gaskell and Danny Brough who are probably the best halves in the league at the minute , and I’m looking forward to playing with and learning off them.

“There are also some big men in the middle, then Leroy Cudjoe and Jermaine McGillvary out wide, which I think will be a massive help for me. Hopefully we can get some good combinations together.”

Holmes is thankful the Giants have shown faith in him while he’s in rehab.

“I’m absolutely over the moon. I can’t thank the club enough for standing by me and offering me the contract even with my injury,” he said.

“It’s a dream come true to be back in Super League and I just want to give a massive ‘thank you’ to Huddersfield for giving me this chance.

“I just want to do my best for the club and for the fans and prove everyone wrong.

“I really enjoyed playing in the Championship this season, it’s been a massive help for me on the field . I feel a lot more confident having been able to play week in week out rugby and now I’m ready for that step up, where hopefully I can now play regularly in the Super League.”

On the injury, he added: “I’m five weeks in now, I’m getting a lot more movement back and I’m feeling really good so far.

“It feels like I’m a bit ahead of schedule. I just can’t wait to get back on the field and hopefully do as much as I can over pre-season.”