BATLEY BULLDOGS coach Matt Diskin says he still needs two or three more additions to his 2019 squad.
Diskin continued his rebuilding with the season-long loan signing of Huddersfield’s Sam Wood last week, and is now focused on adding to his front row options.
League Express also understands that Halifax threequarter Ben Heaton is a possible target.
And Diskin insists that the changes in personnel won’t mean a major overhaul for his squad in the close season.
He said: “I’m pretty comfortable with it.
“The core, the spine of the team still remains – the key positions and the leadership group at the club who have a big influence in the changing room.
“Changes are happening but they will be limited in terms of the starting 13. It’s the fringes of the squad we’ve been looking to improve.
“We’ve still got a couple more in the pipeline, and we’ll wait and see what happens with the domino effect once the season finishes because players naturally become available then.
“We’ve got 22 at the moment and are looking at two or three more, and I do want to add quality competition in the front row.
“We’re working really hard on that and potentially there are some good recruits there for us.”
Diskin has also been encouraged by what he’s seen from his side in the closing weeks of the season compared to a tough run midway through the year.
He added: “It’s shown that when we’ve got that quality nucleus of leaders on the field playing regularly we can dish up some real quality.
“Now we want to make sure we do that consistently next season.
“Fingers crossed we won’t have as tough a task with injuries as we have this year.
“I’m under no illusions that we will pick up injuries, but hopefully they won’t be as severe as this year and that will allow more consistency in performance than we’ve managed.”
Huddersfield centre Wood, meanwhile, is looking forward to some stability after playing on loan and dual-registration at several clubs in recent years.
Wood said: “It’s a good opportunity to get some regular game time and really compete for a spot in the first team. It’s an opportunity that I’m looking forward to.
“It’s a good chance for me to be able to play some games for Batley and concentrate on my specialist skills as a centre to improve my game.
“I’ve been in and out of three different teams with Huddersfield, Workington and Halifax after picking up some injuries, so it will be really good to get some consistency in my game.”
Wood has featured in Super League for the Giants in the last two seasons.
