IT’S the start of a new era at Sheffield, who for the first time in 19 years approach a season without Mark Aston at the helm.
Aston received an 18-month coaching ban for a medical compliance breach in relation to a player appearing following a head injury without the necessary clearance.
The club stalwart is appealing the suspension, and in the meantime has returned to work with numerous off-field duties.
Sheffield’s form dived off a cliff last season after Aston was stood down, going from top-two contenders to missing out on the play-offs altogether.
And the man tasked with turning things back around, and returning a sense of normality to the club, is new coach Craig Lingard, fresh from a season in Super League with Castleford.
Besides the coaching staff, changes have been minimal. Anthony Thackeray has called time on his long career while notable additions include Jack Walker, Morgan Smith, Reiss Butterworth and Jack Bussey.
Watch out for… The return to rugby league of Masi Matongo. The Zimbabwean prop made over 50 Super League appearances in his time at Hull FC but has been out of the game entirely since an injury-ravaged spell at Bradford in 2023. If Matongo, who is now 28, can return to fitness and form – and keep his shoulder in place – he could be an effective front-row force for Sheffield.
Squad: 1 Matty Marsh, 2 Ben Jones-Bishop, 3 Kris Welham, 4 James Glover, 5 Matty Dawson-Jones, 6 Cory Aston, 7 Morgan Smith, 8 Eddie Battye, 9 Corey Johnson, 10 Tyler Dickinson, 11 Connor Bower, 12 Joel Farrell, 13 Titus Gwaze, 14 Reiss Butterworth, 15 Evan Hodgson, 16 Blake Broadbent, 17 Mitch Clark, 18 Jack Bussey, 19 Jesse Sene-Lefao, 20 Lewis Peachey, 21 Ryan Millar, 22 Masi Matongo, 23 Alex Foster, 24 Oliver Roberts, 25 Jayden Billy, 26 Jack Walker.
Rugby League World predicts: 5th
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 505 (February 2025)
