BATLEY BULLDOGS are losing outstanding operators in Alistair Leak and Lucas Walshaw.
That the view of former coach Mark Moxon of the retiring duo, with Cumbrian hooker Leak hanging up his boots at 34 after 14 campaigns with the club and secondrow Walshaw at the same age following six seasons at the Bulldogs, before which he was with Wakefield, Bradford then hometown club Dewsbury.
Walshaw made his 300th club appearance in Sunday’s 25-18 play-off defeat at Sheffield.
Moxon joined the Batley coaching staff in late 2011 and held the reins from September 2023 to June 2025.
Leak learned the ropes at Cumbrian community club Egremont Rangers before moving to Yorkshire to study.
And Moxon recalled: “I remember Leaky coming from Leeds Met in 2013 as a bit of a scrawny kid. To see him develop into such a good player was great.
“I had a conversation with John Kear (the late former Batley coach) a few years ago. JK was at Bradford, but still called Leaky the best hooker in the Championship, and that spoke volumes.
“He has made a great impact at Batley, both starting and coming off the bench.
“Leaky has all the attributes a hooker needs, aggression, resilience and toughness. He’s great out of dummy-half, and he never takes a backward step when defending.
“I’m sure he could have moved on, but he stayed loyal to Batley, and I know it’s been appreciated.”
Walshaw needs a knee reconstruction, and Moxon added: “It takes a while to recover from that, and I know it has influenced his decision.
“Luby is another great player who has a really big presence. We always joked he has a massive wingspan, and that makes him a useful bloke in the back row.”