DAN Russell’s signing brings Warrington Wolves a number of things they very much needed for 2025.

Of course, we will not know how good an addition he turns out to be for several months yet, but he certainly ticks a few boxes.

The first of those is size. At 6ft 4ins tall and tipping the scales at just over 16 stone, Russell is a hulking mass of humanity.

In terms of the advertised heights and weights of the Wire squad, only James Harrison is taller and Paul Vaughan, Joe Philbin, Lachlan Fitzgibbon and Zane Musgrove heavier than their new recruit.

The majority of those mentioned play in the middle with the exception of Fitzgibbon who, like Russell, will do most of his work on the edges.

With that being said, the prospect of Russell on one side of the field and Fitzgibbon on the other is certainly a tantalising one and will give Wire a back row that stacks up to any in Super League in terms of pure size.

Warrington’s middle is by no means small but in taking Friday’s semi-final loss to Hull KR for example, there are games in which Burgess has opted for a more mobile but more lightweight pack with the likes of Philbin, Luke Yates and Jordy Crowther prevalent.

When that is the case, having the kind of size Russell and Fitzgibbon can bring on the edges is crucial.

Furthermore, the second row is an area in which Warrington desperately needed more depth, with their stocks being depleted by the departures of both John Bateman and Matty Nicholson, who emerged as their starting two back-rowers, to the NRL.

Throw into the mix the uncertainty surrounding Fitzgibbon’s recovery from shoulder surgery – although Sam Burgess insisted he would be ready to play a part next year – and it is easy to see why it was an area of the field that needed some attention.

Adam Holroyd is an excellent young prospect, but more senior options were needed in his position to allow him to develop at a more natural pace having played far more games than anticipated during 2024.

They had identified the outstanding Leeds skipper Rhyse Martin as a tentative target but with him having opted for Hull KR next year, Warrington have now turned to his Papua New Guinea teammate.

And while he certainly fits the bill in terms of the profile of player they are looking for, some will look at the fact he has just eight NRL appearances to his name at the age of 28 as a concerning sign.

That being said, having reams of NRL games under one’s belt is not always a barometer for success in Super League.

Take Waqa Blake for example – he arrived at St Helens at a similar age to Russell with more than 150 games in the game’s top competition to his name, but leaves less than a year later having flopped outrageously.

At the other end of the scale, Jai Field had played just 17 NRL games when he joined Wigan - albeit at a younger age - and has become one of the superstars of the northern hemisphere game.

Looking beyond a player’s record is important as ultimately, Russell should only be judged by what he does on the field.