WIDNES boss Denis Betts is hoping new signing Corey Thompson will spur his other threequarters to even greater efforts next season.

The 25 year-old Australian will join for 2016 from NRL club Canterbury Bulldogs on a two-year deal.

The capture of Thompson is part of a clear plan to strengthen the back line as Widnes look to push on to the next level in Super League.

Betts said “It’s not a spare of the moment thing.

“We’ve been looking around at outside backs as an area we wanted to strengthen.

“We want to put more competition in there and when we lost Cameron Phelps for the season, it really highlighted how vulnerable we were in that area.

“So we were looking for centres and wingers with pace and the ability to get better; people who are on the up but who will add to our environment straightaway.

“Corey was one of a number of players who jumped out at us within the NRL through our contacts. There was lots of good feedback on Corey.

“He was looking for a challenge.

"He was sought after by some teams in the NRL but his agent has spent time with us in the last couple of years and knows what we’re trying to build and he feels this is the best place for his player to come and develop his game.

“It’s about stretching ourselves inwardly and challenging people who are already in the squad to make them better.

" Everybody here is unafraid of that, which is a good part of what we are.”

Thompson has mainly caught Betts’ eye as a winger but has the ability to cover several other positions.

With the Vikings unlikely to operate a full Reserve Grade team next season, versatility is still an important factor.

Betts acknowledges there is always an element of risk when you bring a player half-way around the world to play but believes Thompson will fit in well with his team’s ethos and contribute towards a concerted effort for a higher placing on the Super League ladder.

He added “When I’ve seen him in the NRL in the last couple of years, he’s played on the wing.

"But I’ve also seen footage of him playing full back in the Canterbury second team and I understand he played half-back for a couple of years.

“He can play; that’s what I really like about him." He’s played at a very high level, he understands the game and he can make decisions."

“We’ve made some mistakes; everybody does along the way. Sometimes things just don’t work out. But we do our damnedest to make sure if we bring somebody in he has every opportunity to be the best player he can be and enhances this group.

“It’s always about the team.

“When you start the year you think you’ve got cover for all areas and then five or six weeks in you’re struggling to put people on the field. That’s what happens.

“You have to have enough quality to win games.

“What Corey does is put pressure on people but there’s also pressure on him.

“He knows he doesn’t come here with a guaranteed spot, but he backs himself.”