CORNWALL have added some international experience to their ranks with the signature of Jamaican winger Aaron Jones-Bishop.
The 32-year-old started the season at fellow League One club Hunslet but asked for a release at the end of last month in a bid to find more game time elsewhere ahead of this year’s World Cup.
Once he became available, Cornwall coach Neil Kelly acted quickly to snap up the former Doncaster, Oxford and Oldham player, who is the elder brother of former Super League champion Ben Jones-Bishop.
“I am over the moon to have signed Aaron,” said Kelly, who has hailed the signing as monumental for the club.
“He is a fantastic acquisition to our squad as the wing position is now more vital in Rugby League than it’s ever been. A winger is integral to a team’s tactics and gameplay and gone are the days of a winger being a quick bloke who you gave the ball to and he would score tries.
“Aaron is an intelligent footballer and I know he can’t wait to get started. We share that sentiment and with Aaron looking forward to possible selection for Jamaica at the World Cup, his signing is an added bonus for us.
“If he goes well for Cornwall, there is a real possibility that we could have our first ever international player selected whilst playing for our club. With that in mind, Aaron’s signing could prove to be a landmark one for Cornwall Rugby League club.”
As well as Jones-Bishop, the club will also have the services of halfback Adam Rusling for the remainder of their debut campaign after agreeing a long-term extension to his loan from Hull KR.
“I am pleased that Adam will be staying with us,” added Kelly.
“It was a bit of a baptism of fire against West Wales, but against Swinton, after a shortened six-day turnaround, Adam showed us what he’s all about.
“We are grateful to Hull Kingston Rovers for loaning us Adam for the rest of the season. The move will be beneficial for his development as a footballer and for ours as a club and new project.”
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MIDLANDS HURRICANES assistant coach Dave Scott is delighted to welcome Chris Cullimore back to the club after the hooker signed a loan deal from Keighley Cougars for the rest of the season.
The 29-year-old scored twice in 16 appearances for the club last season before joining the West Yorkshire side, and Scott believes his knowledge of the club can have an instant impact on them.
“It is great to bring someone of Chris’ experience back to the club,” said Scott, who is temporarily taking charge of first-team matters in the absence of banned head coach Richard Squires.
“Culli was outstanding for us last season. He plays big minutes in the middle and he’s the type of player that steadies the ship and can get us a foothold in the game.
“He directs the middles around the field, so he’ll be a massive addition to us moving forward.
“It has always been a challenge down here to get players in for long periods of time, and we’ve tended to get players on loan or dual-registration for just a few weeks before they must go back, so to get
Chris for the season is really useful for us and puts us in good stead for the rest of the year.
“He already knows the club and our systems and structures, so he can slot straight back in and I have absolutely no doubt he’ll do a great job for us.”
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DONCASTER chief executive Carl Hall is hoping that an extended break will now allow his side to get some numbers back to have a much stronger second half of the season.
Prior to Sunday’s visit of Hunslet, the Dons had won five out of their nine previous games, but they will now not play again until Saturday, June 25 due to a bye weekend and the international break.
With nearly three weeks without a game, Hall hopes some of their injured stars can use the time to get fit and back on the field.
“We’ve been doing it tough on numbers for the last few weeks but we’ve got through it,” said Hall.
“It has been a tough start for us and recently we’ve and have had six to eight starting players not being available. But after the Hunslet game we have 20 days off, so we’re hoping the likes of Watson Boas, Ben Johnston, Brandan Wilkinson, Alex Holdstock, Greg Burns, Misi Taulapapa and guys like that will be very close to returning once we’re playing again and that should really make us look like a different team.
“The game against Rochdale recently told us a lot about ourselves for 65 minutes. If we can play like that again with a bit more experience in the team in key positions, then it will transform the team.”
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ROCHDALE HORNETS Chairman Andy Mazey is quite happy to see his side enjoy a couple of weeks off before they return to action against Swinton Lions on Sunday.
After the Challenge Cup Final break, the Hornets enjoyed their bye week while others returned to action over the weekend, and with the season now approaching the half-way point, Mazey believes his players will come back fresh for what promises to be an exciting second half of the year.
“Swinton is a big one for us and, like the Keighley game a few weeks ago, it tells us a bit more about where we are,” said Mazey.
“There is a train of thought that, after the good start we’ve had, we’d just want to carry on playing. But looking at the bigger picture, I don’t think that having a couple of weeks off at this stage of the year will do the lads any harm at all.
“We have a couple of players, like every club does, who are carrying niggles. So hopefully they’ll have had time to recover from those ahead of one of the competition’s biggest games.
“We’re starting to get a feel of how the table will look now that we’re getting to the half-way point of the season. It is still really close between us all at the top, so it is looking like going to be an exciting second half to the season.”
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KEIGHLEY COUGARS coach Rhys Lovegrove has admitted to having been particularly pleased with his side’s efforts in defence so far this year.
After Saturday’s 12-56 win at North Wales Crusaders, the Cougars have now conceded just 78 points in nine games.
“We’ve targeted some defensive objectives this year, which we’re doing really well,” Lovegrove said when speaking to the RFL’s League One show.
“We’ve had a lot of discussions about how I want us to defend and what each individual player’s role is within that. It often feels quite simple, so it’s easy to think you must do more, but it’s just about staying patient and performing your role and the boys have adapted to that well.
“We have leaked a few more points when we’ve gone away from that, which is disappointing, but we can learn from that and use it to reinforce what we’re trying to do.
“There is still a lot of learning to undergo; we still need to understand how to be patient defensively, and how using the ball ties into our defence. But all in all, it’s been pretty good so far.”
Meanwhile the club has released Robert Matamosi from the remainder of his contract, while Chris Cullimore and Myles Tate have joined Midlands Hurricanes and West Wales Raiders respectively on loan for the rest of the season.
Matamosi, a current serving member of the armed forces, has requested his release after an increase in his work commitments.
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NORTH WALES CRUSADERS coach Anthony Murray believes the club’s current position in the league in not just down to the work they have done this year.
Saturday 12-56 at home to Keighley put an end to their unbeaten start to the campaign and now sees them sit second in the league.
“Since coming back to the Crusaders the focus point has always been improving every year and jumping up a position in the table every year,” Murray who returned to the club midway through 2018 told the RFL’s League One show.
“Our position in the league right now is fantastic, but that’s not just because of all the hard work put in this season and last season, but the seasons before that too.
“This has been building for the last four seasons now by us retaining the majority of squad, adding really good faces to that having good people around the place. I have got a great bunch of coaching staff around me and we’re all striving for improvement every week and every season.
“We’re not getting carried away though, and the focus for us to keep improving and to try and go one better than last year. If that means finishing second then that’s brilliant.”
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LONDON SKOLARS coach Joe Mbu has hinted they could be more new arrivals at the club in the coming weeks.
Following on from Lameck Juma’s return to the cub last month, forward Mike Greenhalgh has also signed a deal with the club until the end of the season.
Greenhalgh started this year at London Broncos but makes the move back to the Skolars, and he may not be the only new face adding reinforcement to Mbu’s squad.
“Mike is a great addition to the squad,” said Mbu.
“I have known him since he was young and he will provide toughness and competition in the middle forwards group.
“As coaches and clubs, you are always looking at recruiting players and sometimes for one reason or another some players decide to come back to the game or are looking for something more suitable in terms of location and working this around they’re day job. We’re able to offer that, so I imagine over the next couple of weeks we will bring in a few more players that will only better us as a team and strengthen us as a squad.”
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HUNSLET have finally got their man after securing the loan signing of Joe Hird from Leeds Rhinos, with coach Alan Kilshaw believing he is the perfect replacement for some key injuries in the forwards.
Kilshaw has also brought in fellow frontrower Jackson Walker from Dewsbury Rams and Rhinos fullback or winger Mackenzie Turner, as well as seeing Cole Oakley’s stay from Halifax extended by another couple of weeks.
“I’m delighted to extend Cole’s loan spell,” said Kilshaw.
“He has been outstanding for us since arriving and will continue to improve with more continuity and regular football.
“We have been looking at bringing a couple of middles in with the loss of Duane Straugheir and Dan Okoro through injury and Joe Hird has been on our radar for a few months now. He has been a stand-out in the reserves competition for Leeds and was Cornwall’s best forward against us when on loan with the Choughs a few weeks ago, so we’re happy he will be in our colours for the next few games at least.
“Jackson also came to our attention playing for Cornwall. He was mentioned to me by our director Peter Jarvis a few weeks ago and when I saw he had been loaned to the Choughs I made sure we had a look at him. He did very well in both games and I’m confident he will make a positive contribution to the group.
“Mackenzie, meanwhile, is another player we have seen a few times this year, including in the Harry Jepson OBE Memorial Trophy game with Leeds in pre-season, and against us for Cornwall a few weeks ago. He is fast and strong and has good footwork.”
However Kilshaw has lost Jacob Doyle, who has been recalled by parent club Featherstone Rovers following the defeat in the 1895 Cup Final at Tottenham.
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OLDHAM have welcomed another up-and-coming Wakefield Trinity star into their squad after signing half back Robbie Butterworth on loan for the rest of the season.
Butterworth has linked up with fellow Trinity loanee Dane Windrow and is looking forward to earning more regular game time in coach Stuart Littler’s squad.
“We’ve only been playing once a fortnight in the Reserves and Trinity want me to get more game time,” said Butterworth.
“They let it be known that I was available for those reasons. Oldham came in for me, I agreed and that was that.
“I can’t wait to get started. The first session I attended at Oldham was interesting and it was good to meet all the lads.”
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WEST WALES RAIDERS have secured the services of a third loanee from Keighley Cougars.
Joining Kian Fisher and Keenan Dyer-Dixon at Stebonheath is prop forward Myles Tate, who joins on a season-long loan.
The youngster joined the Cougars from Warrington Wolves over the winter but suffered an injury in pre-season and only returned to training late last month.
The move to the Raiders should allow him to earn some much-needed game time as he make his return to action.
The club has also re-signed Rhys Davies and Kieran Lewis, who both had spells at the club earlier in their careers.
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SWINTON LIONS coach Allan Coleman is hopeful that Mike Butt and Jack Hansen will play many more games for the club after the duo both made landmark appearances recently.
The 54-16 win over Cornwall was Butt’s 150th career game and Hansen’s 100th for the club. Butt’s milestone was made up of 148 club games and two for Wales.
Both players were expected to add to their club total when they were named in the squad to face Oldham at the weekend.
“It is a fantastic achievement for both payers and I am immensely proud of them both,” said Coleman.
“They have been fantastic servants to Swinton and hopefully we can keep these players on board for many more appearances.”
The club has also confirmed the loan signing of outside-back Josh Milthorpe from Batley Bulldogs.
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