We are pleased to confirm that Hurricanes Captain Jon-Luke Kirby has signed an extension to his contract that will keep him at Avery Fields until the end of the 2028 season.
JLK, 27, was a product of the Huddersfield Giants academy system and had experience at Super League (Giants), Championship (loan spells at Halifax and Dewsbury, permanently at York) and League One (on loan at Hunslet) level before making the move to Birmingham.
He was one of Mark Dunning’s first signings after taking over as Head Coach towards the middle of the 2023 season, and would make five appearances that season as the Canes fortunes turned around with historic first ever wins over Doncaster and Oldham. He has featured regularly for the club ever since, with over half of his 100 career appearances coming in a Midlands shirt, and has represented the club as Vice Captain for the 2024 and 2025 seasons before making the step up to Captain for this season.
We spoke with Head Coach Mark Dunning about securing Jon for another two seasons:
We’re delighted that Jon has agreed to extend his stay at the Canes for a further two years.
Since arriving at the club, Jon has gone about his business in a professional and committed manner on and off the field resulting in him earning the Vice Captaincy for 2024 and 2025 and eventually the Captaincy for 2026.
He perfectly fits the demographic that we are looking for in a Canes player through his consistency, dedication and willingness to keep improving. We’re all very excited to see Jon apply those attributes in a Canes shirt for at least another two seasons and we’re sure that our fans will share that excitement.
I’m incredibly pleased to be extending my stay with the Hurricanes! I feel a sense of gratitude towards the club for giving me that initial opportunity back in 2023; since then I’ve rediscovered a love and a passion for playing rugby league and I can honestly say I’ve never enjoyed rugby league as much as I have with the Hurricanes.
The club has come on leaps and bounds in the three years I have been here and it makes me proud to acknowledge that progress. Midlands Hurricanes is an exciting place to be, as a collective we are full of ambition and I am fully invested in playing a part in the future of the club.
The players and staff are all fantastic people and that makes the Canes a great place to be. I consider myself lucky to be in a position to re-sign for the next two years and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can achieve in the rest of the 2026 season!
