Aston "massively impressed" by new recruits

05/03/2021

Sheffield Eagles Director of Rugby Mark Aston has been “massively impressed” by the club’s new signings as the 2021 season draws closer.

Aston has a squad of 30 players to choose from, which includes ten new signings who are all relatively young with Bobby Tyson-Wilson the oldest at 26.

The youthful vibe that the new signings have brought to the table is something Aston is thrilled about.

“I have been massively impressed by them so far,” he said.

“What you get with kids is enthusiasm and commitment and their jaws are dropping when they’re learning more about the club - what we have done in the past and where we are going in the future.

“They are all good kids with pedigree.

“We all know they are not the finished articles but they have got the right values, they want to be here for the long haul so they can develop.

“It’s an exciting time for them as well as the club going forward over the next few years.”

Aston has admitted he doesn’t know the 17 he will choose for the club’s first game of the year against York City Knights in the Challenge Cup on March 19th.

With the new signings pushing the older heads in the squad, the Eagles chief has warned there may be a few of the usual suspects not taking part if improvements aren’t made.

“We play York in two weeks and everyone will be wondering what the team is going to be,” Aston added.

“I can tell you for sure that I don’t know that yet and those guys that have joined us are certainly challenging themselves to be a part of it.

“There may be one or two that people expect to play that haven’t done enough in pre-season so far.

“It will be interesting which way we go as we have got through a massive month of February where we have been training four nights a week.

"Some of the guys who weren’t where I wanted them to be have been told straight that if they don’t improve, they won’t be part of that first game.

“That’s an easy thing for me to do as I can see who has had a good pre-season and who hasn’t.

“It has been a stop-start pre-season but we have changed things up a bit.

“The improvements and testing for some of the players who have gone over and above expectations do not lie.”

By Dan Fowler, photo by Alex Coleman