HUNSLET coach Dean Muir wants to take both players and fans back to the future as he works to play his part in changing perceptions of the club and establishing them in the Championship.
Having languished in League One since 2016, the south Leeds side provided one of the stories of last season by winning promotion from a final position of fourth.
Hunslet claimed three play-off victories, including a final triumph at Keighley, where Muir had a spell as assistant coach, then went to then-Championship side Swinton and won an exciting promotion and relegation decider 22-20.
That sealed a third successive promotion for Muir, who was at Keighley when they won League One in 2022 and guided West Bowling into the National Conference League Premier Division in 2023, after which Hunslet snapped him up.
Now consolidation in the second tier is the target, with the team chief working hard and fast to build a squad he thinks can keep away from the danger zone.
Experienced former France forward Kevin Larroyer (from Halifax), Australian duo, halfback Lachlan Hanneghan (Whitehaven) and hooker Kobe Rugless (Blacktown Workers), and Bradford stand-off Billy Jowitt are among the additions.
But Muir has also retained a string of players, saying: “I want them to have the chance to play in the Championship after getting us there, and I think they are capable of meeting that higher standard.
“We have tried to build a strong culture here and get rid of that tag of Hunslet just being happy to tread water.
“We are in a big city, and while Leeds are a powerhouse, there is still room for a club to grow and attract new supporters, and the name Hunslet is a historic one in this game.
“We rightly lauded Wigan for winning all four available trophies last year, but this club did it way back in 1907-08.
“They were the first, and only a few have done it since, and that’s a source of pride and inspiration, even all these years on.”
