“We knew we had a good pre-season, we worked really hard. We set our own goals and it was a minimum of play-offs. At the minute we’re up there achieving that.”
THERE are few better tests of a Championship team’s mettle than a clash with Batley Bulldogs, that most steadfast of second-tier clubs.
So when, on a cold Friday night in the middle of February, in their first home game of the season, Sheffield Eagles ran in 36 unanswered points for a decisive victory over the men from the Mount, a few eyebrows were raised.
Two weeks later Widnes Vikings, making their own strong start to the campaign under a boss Sheffield know all too well in John Kear, are next to go to Olympic Legacy Park.
So when the Eagles ran in seven tries for a 30-point success, a few more eyebrows were raised.
Fast forward three more weeks, and their third home game. The division’s only full-time side, Toulouse Olympique, brought their wealth of Super League and international experience to OLP, and would surely be too good.
So when Sheffield blasted into a 26-0 half-time lead, then closed out a 32-4 victory, everybody was taking notice.
The Eagles have continued flying high ever since, and by mid-June are second in the table, trailing only the big spenders Featherstone Rovers. They’ve pushed Fev close too, mind, the runaway leaders barely escaping with a 28-20 win in May with Sheffield down to ten men in the closing stages.
It’s all a far cry from recent years, with Sheffield’s last top-six finish in the Championship coming back in 2015. They were one place above the relegation zone in 2021, and although they improved to seventh last term they were still twelve points off a play-off berth.
Strong recruitment has been key, with former top-flight stars like Jesse Sene-Lefao, Aaron Murphy and Oliver Roberts complimented by up-and-comers like Titus Gwaze.
Then there is the return of Cory Aston, the son of boss Mark, for what is officially his fourth spell at the Eagles, but the first true, permanent homecoming since leaving as a 21-year-old for the bright lights of Super League.
Now 28, he has a three-year deal at the club he spent his whole childhood around with his dad, and their start to the season, with him an important component at halfback, has more than justified his return.
Aston says: “In house, we were quietly confident. We knew we had a good pre-season, we worked really hard. We set our own goals and it was a minimum of play-offs. At the minute we’re up there achieving that.
“Those three home games – Batley, Widnes and Toulouse – were massive. We put over 30 points on all of them, and conceded less than twelve. They’re all up there in the top six with us. We really put them to the sword and showed a great steel and resilience in defence. The Toulouse one especially was a big statement for us.”
Aston is “enjoying being home” and understandably so, for the path taken since leaving Sheffield at the end of 2016 has been a rocky one to say the least.
He signed for Leeds Rhinos but did not make a single first-team appearance, leaving only a year into his deal to seek a breakthrough at Castleford Tigers instead.
“I knew I didn’t want to stay at Leeds because I just didn’t really like how it panned out there,” says Aston. “The first year at Castleford I was finding my feet a little bit, and then in the second year I managed to break in and play a fair few games on the bounce. I absolutely loved it.
“If that happened the year before and I had another year on my deal at Castleford that might have been different, but it came to that time (negotiating contracts) and London came in for me and made me an offer.”
At that time the Broncos were a top-flight outfit and the move appeared an attractive one. But it’s fair to say that everything that could go wrong, did.
“They got relegated in that last game of the season. Me and my wife had made the decision already, it’s a big move going down to London. We got married that October, moved straight down to London, lived the London life the first four or five months, played a few games and played well.
“But then Covid hit and we were stuck down there for the rest of the year. We were in our own bubble down there which was pretty tough, being isolated away from family wasn’t easy. Credit to London, they paid everyone 100 percent throughout that period, otherwise I don’t think many of us could have survived down there.
“During that first lockdown my wife fell pregnant as well. We had my son down there. Within about two weeks of him being born, I broke my foot. My wife was stuck down there on her own and I think that’s what hit home and made us want to move back up. The opportunity came to sign a two-year deal at Halifax.”
By now his career had been on stall for some time and he struggled to get into the Panthers team following his move for 2022. Aston spent time back at Sheffield on loan – he previously did likewise from Castleford in 2018 – had a smile back on his face, and was only too happy to make a permanent return to the Steel City this year.
“I’ve grown a lot within that time as a person. I think it’s been great for me, being out and experiencing new things. I’ve worked under a lot of different coaches as well and built my own view of the game. If I’d have stayed at Sheffield I probably wouldn’t have been able to grow as much as a player.
“I’m happy to stay at Sheffield now. We’re building a good squad, not having a big changeover as tends to happen in the Championship. I’d love to stay here. What the club is trying to build is pretty exciting. Hopefully we can finally get flying at Sheffield.
“It’s all down to us. If we’re on the money and playing good rugby, we believe we can challenge anyone in this league. We’ve got off to a good start but it’s this middle block (of the season) where you can get caught slipping. In that top six it’s still pretty tight. We just need to keep doing our job and if we keep winning, we’ll stay up there.”
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 486 (July 2023)
Click here to subscribe to the print edition of Rugby League World
