JY HITCHCOX cannot wait “to see what the next two years bring” after sealing his move to the Bulls.

Securing the Australian winger had been a priority for John Kear since Hitchcox’s hat-trick in the play-off final win over Workington.

And after signing a contract until the end of the 2020 season, Hitchcox is excited about his full-time prospects at Odsal.

He said: “I’ve loved my time here these past few weeks and I’m really looking forward to it.

“They get a great following and hopefully we can build that in the Championship. There are some promising things to come.”

Hitchcox had two spells on loan from Castleford, scoring nine tries from his final five games after recovering from a mid-season back injury.

There is the mouth-watering prospect of linking up again with former Tigers team-mate Jake Webster, the marquee signing for next year.

Hitchcox added: “Playing outside Webbo the last couple of years, we know how each other play so hopefully we’ll get along well.

“Hopefully I can bring a lot of experience to the team. I know how the Championship and Super League work.

“John Kear is the master motivator and he’s got a wealth of knowledge. He’s been there and done it all and I think he’s the right man for the job.

“I can’t wait to play under him next year and the year after.”

Chairman Andrew Chalmers is delighted with the capture of the utility-back.

He said: "Recruitment and retention is generally a good reflection of how a club is growing and building, on that basis we are obviously really pleased with our business the past few months.

“To add a player of Jy's standing to our strong squad for 2019 is really exciting and we're pleased to deliver recruitment of this quality to our supporter base in return for their loyalty and support.

"Jy was a huge influence on the squad during his time on loan at the club this season, he has played in Super League Grand Finals, and demonstrated as recently as the play-off final that he can finish tries and impact a game as well as any outside back in the league.”

Kear was always confident the deal would get done.

The Bulls head coach said: “Ultimately it comes down to whether the player wants to be there and Jy does.”

Meanwhile, Steve Crossley has gone under the knife for minor surgery on his left shoulder.

He said on Twitter: "Operation all finished with no problems. Rest and recovery and get ready for next season."