Widnes Full-back Jake Maizen becomes the latest player departure before contract expiry
It has been a familiar story for Widnes supporters over recent seasons watching numerous players depart the club before their contracts are due to expire.
The latest early departure is Australian Full-back Jake Maizen. The former Halifax and Whitehaven man was the star recruit for Widnes ahead of the 2025 season.
Due to personal reasons the deal was delayed until May, however he finally put pen to paper, signing a contract that would keep him at the club until the end of the 2026 season.
Now only 8 months on from making his debut against Bradford, the former Italian international will depart Widnes and is expected to return home to Australia for personal reasons.
Maizen becomes the third Australian to leave the club prematurely since 2023. Will Evans returned home before playing a competitive game in 2023, whilst Cameron Brown departed the club at the start of 2025, again failing to make a competitive first team appearance.
Early player departures since the start of 2024
Excluding loan deals, bellow is the list of players who have departed Widnes officially since the start of 2024, before their contract had expired.
- Will Tilleke – 40 appearances
- Kieran Dixon – 38 appearances
- Ant Walker – 35 appearances
- McKenzie Buckley – 0 appearances
- Adam Jones – 0 appearances
- Reegan Sumner – 0 appearances (as a permanent signing)
- Cameron Brown – 0 appearances
- Ryan Lannon – 17 appearances
- Martyn Reilly – 17 appearances
- Liam Kirk – 38 appearances
- Jake Maizen – 9 appearances
A total of 11 players have left Widnes prior to the expiry of their contracts since the start of 2024. The real question remains are contracts now anything more than what a player is paid by a club while wearing a jersey?
How many of those players have spent more months on the payroll than games they have played, and at what cost to the club?
The impact of premature player exits
It is becoming a common theme across the part time game players leaving clubs before the expiry of agreed contracts, leaving supporters frustrated and sometimes short changed.
Supporters purchase season tickets expecting to see players wear their teams colours in the season ahead. Often players leave clubs without making a first team appearance.
The knock on effect, particularly in mid season is it forces clubs to enter the short term loan market, sometimes signing a player for as little as one week.
The short term loan market is showing no signs of slowing down and has a detrimental impact on clubs attendances as the years pass, with spectators becoming increasingly disillusioned.
Part of supporting any sporting team is to develop a connection with club and players, the revolving door of the Championship transfer market makes it increasingly difficult for fans to grow either.
Player sponsors are also affected, often agreeing sponsorship packages with one player and being forced to switch to an another mid season. Ultimately this is putting more essential income at risk.
Replacement for Maizen
It is understood the Vikings registered interest in Warrington’s out of favour Full-back Matt Dufty.
Following a difficult 2025 season on the field for the Wolves, Dufty was allocated squad number 24, losing his starting jersey to local talent Cai Taylor-Wray.
Despite interest, a deal couldn’t be struck between Widnes and Dufty forcing the club to turn their attention to alternative targets.
An announcement on Maizen’s replacement is expected to be made in the coming weeks.
