Tom Johnstone turned down record-breaking salary to return to Wakefield Trinity

Catalans Dragons have revealed that Tom Johnstone has turned down a major player-level salary in favor of a return to Wakefield Trinity in 2025.

The Dragons announced on Wednesday that Johnstone will leave the club at the end of the season, as has been speculated for months. Johnstone will sign for Wakefield, marking a return to the club he left just two years ago ahead of their likely return to Super League.

And the Dragons revealed they offered “contractual and rugby temptations” to try and convince him to stay at the club, including a salary that would have elevated him to the status of one of the Catalans’ three authorized players.

However, Johnstone chose what the Catalans described as his “desire to take his young family back to England” as the driving force behind his next move in 2025.

“The England international has turned down a contract extension with Marquee Player status at the Dragons with a significant pay rise,” they said.

“Despite being offered both contractual and rugby temptations to stay, the desire to take his young family back to England and have that important support from relatives, was something the club was against he couldn’t fight and I respect him completely.”

In his own personal statement, Johnstone admitted that he believed the time was right to return to England.

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He said: “First of all I’d like to thank Steve (McNamara) for taking the risk to sign me and giving me this opportunity after a tough few years with injuries and for believing in me. Also thanks to Matt Parr for working so closely with me keeping me fit and healthy over the past few seasons.

“Without both of them, I don’t think I would have played as many games as I have and personally achieved what I did.

“I would also like to thank Bernard Guasch, the staff at Brutus and the fans for welcoming me to this amazing club, the atmosphere in Brutus is incredible and I will always remember the 2023 semi-final.

“My family and I loved our time in this beautiful place, adapting to the proud Catalan and French culture. But we feel the time is right to return home to be closer to our family and friends.

“I’m extremely proud of last year, although we didn’t quite achieve what we set out to win the Grand Final, but I promise to do everything I can to finish my time at this club on a high and win the competition as the club and the fans deserve.

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