Izaac Farrell joins Joel at Eagles for 2022

06/10/2021

Izaac Farrell will be a Sheffield Eagles player in 2022! 

The playmaker joins his brother, Joel, in the Red and Gold and will be aiming to progress further after a promising full debut campaign last year. 

He has signed a one-year deal and the 23-year-old is looking to do enough to impress Mark Aston for an extension come the end of next season. 

“I am very happy to be staying at the club,” Farrell said.

“It’s a one-year deal and I think that will push me to earn a better contract for the next couple of years.

“Right now I’m just over the moon to get the deal done.

“The club is going in the right direction, with the stadium being ready by the time we start the season. 

“We’ll be getting a new squad together which is always exciting and I’m happy to be a part of it.”

Farrell has been helped during his Eagles career by Aston, who had a glittering career as a half-back, as well as the likes of Anthony Thackeray and Harry Tyson-Wilson - the latter providing stiff competition last term. 

Discussing Aston’s assistance, Farrell added: “It’s good to have him,” 

“He’s won the Challenge Cup as a half-back so I get to pick his brain and he gets to give me advice on the things I can do to make my game a bit better. 

On his fellow half-backs, he said: “It’s always good to play with Thacks as he is an experienced head and he takes a bit of pressure off my shoulders,” 

“He’s going to be the one that gets us around the pitch and I’ll be able to run off him, which makes my job easier. 

“The competition with Harry is great too as it pushes me to want to play every single week and become a better player. I relish that competition.” 

Farrell has put his hand up to play for Jamaica internationally and with a World Cup around the corner, he is wanting to be lining up alongside Joel for the Reggae Warriors. 

With the chance to play New Zealand, and the magician that is Shaun Johnson, in the World Cup - Izaac is wanting to focus on his Eagles campaign first of all and he hopes to get the nod. 

“It’s almost a once in a lifetime thing,” he said. 

“The main thing for me is to have a good year and be in that squad. 

"I want to challenge myself and play against some of the best in the world. That is something I’m really motivated to do. 

“Since he (Johnson) came on to the scene in the NRL, I’ve been a big fan of the way that he plays and runs. 

“He is one of the best in the world and I do try to put parts of his game into mine but I’m just not as quick as him! 

“It would be like a childhood dream to go up against someone like him.” 

Aston is thrilled to be keeping Farrell on board, saying: “When you look at where Izaac’s come from, when he first joined, and how he has applied himself, we’ve seen glimpses from him and now we need consistency,”

“There is no doubt he can kick a ball, that he can beat defenders, but he needs to learn when to pass or when to take the defence on. 

“He’ll build that into his game and when he does, he’ll become consistent and when he’s consistent he’ll be a threat. 

“He has done really well to get his mojo and confidence back. 

“He needs to pull his neck in a little bit now and really focus on going to the next level. 

“I’ve challenged him to lose a bit more weight, have a bit more agility about him, and the big improvement from this year is picking the right time to run or the right time to pass and isolate defenders. 

“He’s at a relatively young age where he can improve and get better, which is massive for us.”

By Dan Fowler, photo by Alex Coleman