DEATH, taxes and Mark Aston being in charge of Sheffield – three certainties in life. Aston has been at the club as a player and coach since 1995 and he doesn’t look like slowing down anytime soon heading into his 30th season at the club.
In 2023, the Eagles enjoyed a tremendous year, finishing fourth in the league before being knocked out of the play-offs by eventual promotion winners London.
To help Sheffield maintain their great form last season, Aston has brought in the likes of Mitch Clark, Eddie Battye, Matty Marsh, Alex Foster and Kyle Wood with Super League experience in abundance.
A 29-man squad looks deep enough to cause the rest of the Championship a number of problems, though there will be question marks over whether Quentin Laulu-Togaga’e starts the season following his heart attack at the turn of the year.
Underestimate Sheffield at your peril.
Watch out for… RYAN MILLAR has returned to the Eagles after a spell with Widnes. The flying winger has taken the number 30 shirt for 2024, but his experience and presence will likely see him hit the starting line-up. In a previous seven-year Eagles spell, Millar registered 53 tries in 111 appearances.
2024 squad: 1 Matty Marsh, 2 Ben Jones-Bishop, 3 Kris Welham, 4 James Glover, 5 Matty Dawson-Jones, 6 Cory Aston, 7 Anthony Thackeray, 8 Eddie Battye, 9 Vila Halafihi, 10 Tyler Dickinson, 11 Connor Bower, 12 Joel Farrell, 13 Titus Gwaze, 14 Jack Hansen, 15 Evan Hodgson, 16 Blake Broadbent, 17 Mitch Clark, 18 Aaron Murphy, 19 Izaac Farrell, 20 Lewis Peachey, 21 Ryan Johnson, 22 Kyle Wood, 23 Bayley Liu, 24 Oliver Roberts, 26 Alex Foster, 27 Jesse Sene-Lefao, 29 Quentin Laulu-Togaga’e, 30 Ryan Millar.
Rugby League World predicts: 5th
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 494 (March 2024)
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