DANNY Walker says his move to Warrington Wolves is “a risk he was willing to take.”

The 19-year-old hooker has been in pre-season training with his new teammates for nearly a month after his move from Widnes Vikings was confirmed in October.

Warrington-born Walker, a former Rylands Sharks and Crosfields junior, says he felt a move would allow him to give his progression a boost after a year in which he admits his development has stalled slightly.

Having played for England Knights against Papua New Guinea during the off-season, Walker says he is now in the right environment to take his game to the next level.

“I’ve sort of stabilised a bit in the last year or so. I’ve not really progressed as much as I wanted to,” he told the Guardian.

“Whether that’s down to me or something else, I’m not too sure. That’s why I wanted a change and something new.

“I can learn a lot from Steve Price, Lee Briers, Andrew Henderson and all the players here and take my game to the next level.

“Having this change in environment could be the best thing that’s ever happened to me. It was a risk I was willing to take.

“The easier option was maybe for me to stay at Widnes. Maybe I would have played week in week out as a starting nine or whatever.

“I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to do something that was really going to test me.

“Playing in Super League is what I want to be doing at this point in my career, and playing with big-name players like Blake Austin and Daryl Clark.

“Everything about this club is on the up and I want to be a part of it.

“If Warrington won the Grand Final in the next couple of years and I wasn’t part of it, I would regret it.”

Walker is one of six new additions for The Wire ahead of the 2019 season as they aim to improve upon a campaign in which they reached both major finals.

Price often used Declan Patton as an interchange hooker during 2018 – a position Walker now has his eye on.

He accepts muscling Daryl Clark out of the starting team may be a bridge too far for him at the moment, but he is keen to learn from The Wire’s first-choice dummy-half.

“Pre-season has been tough but really enjoyable. It’s different to what I’ve been used to,” he said.

“Even training on grass is a big change as opposed to being on astroturf for the past three years.

“Hopefully I’m showing Steve and the boys what I can do.

“When I first came here, my goal was to play as many games as I can. I said that to Pricey when I first met up with him.

“If I’m working hard and digging deep, I’d love to play and I’ll always put my hand up to play.

“Personally, I want to nail that bench spot. That’s my goal.

“Daz is on a different level at the minute. I want to learn from the best because I want to be the best one day

“Learning from someone like Daz will be really good for me.”