Newcastle Falcons are delighted to announce that Scottish international back-rower Gary Graham has signed a new two-year deal with the Greene King IPA Championship leaders.
Graham, 27, has scored 12 tries in his 57 appearances for the Falcons since joining from Jersey two and a half years ago.
Making his Scotland debut last season on the back of his impressive club form, the abrasive forward has been a cornerstone of the Newcastle side which has won all 16 of its games this season, scoring five tries in his 12 outings.
The son of Falcons and Scotland great George Graham, Gary said: “I love it here – both in terms of the city and the club.
“I’ve got a house here, my girlfriend is settled and it’s close to my family in Carlisle as well.
“The way the team is going at the minute we’re all set to get back into the Premiership if we keep winning the way we are, and it’ll be great to be at that level again as a Newcastle player.
“I’ve got strong family ties to the Falcons with my dad having played here and me being mascot when I was a kid, so there’s that emotional attachment to begin with. And when you then combine it with the quality of coaches, players and the friendships I have here – I just didn’t want to leave.”
Newcastle Falcons director of rugby Dean Richards echoed Graham’s enthusiasm, saying: “Gary has been an outstanding performer for us and it’s great news that he wants to stay here.
“He brings a very physical and confrontational dimension to our play, he can operate in all three back-row positions and he makes a big impact.
“He has risen to full international level during his time with us after arriving from Jersey, and getting this deal sorted is a really important statement as we prepare for what will hopefully be our Premiership return next season.”
News of Graham’s contract extension comes just two days on from the announcement that top try-scorer Adam Radwan has also pledged his future to the Falcons for the next two years.
Newcastle Falcons’ next home game is on Sunday, when Ampthill are the visitors to Kingston Park Stadium in a 1pm kick-off. Call 0871 226 6060 to book tickets.