WIDNES have signed second-rower Simon Finnigan from Huddersfield for a second time – five years after he left the club following the Vikings’ relegation from Super League.

Finnigan, 28, has put pen to paper on a deal which will see him at the Stobart Stadium Halton for at least a year after he signed a 12-month deal with an option.

The English-born Aussie settled in Widnes and has been commuting to Yorkshire but has fell out of favour with boss Nathan Brown and has decided to drop a division to the Co-operative Championship after speaking with Vikings’ sporting director Terry O’Connor and head coach Paul Cullen who revealed the Vikings’ ambitious plan to return to the top flight – hopefully in 2012 when licences are awarded by the Rugby Football League.

Finnigan was snapped up by the then Widnes boss Neil Kelly who gave the rangy back-rower a trial after he flew to the UK to find a club after originally learning his trade at Penrith Panthers in the NRL.

He signed for Widnes in 2003, playing 73 times for the Vikings, before moves to Salford, Bradford and Huddersfield where he has racked up almost 200 Super League appearances.

Finnigan represented Ireland at the 2008 World Cup, missed just three games from 31 for Widnes in their 2005 relegation season, scoring 12 tries.

He was the leading try-scoring forward in Super League in 2006, totalling 13 for Salford, and scored a brace of tries on his debuts for both Bradford and Huddersfield.

A spokesman for Widnes Vikings said: “As a player, he is renowned for his hard-work ethic as well as an uncanny eye for the try line and his wealth of experience will be invaluable to pass on to some of the young Vikings starlets.

“He has all the right attributes both on and off the field that the Vikings are looking for in 2011 and beyond.”