HUNSLET coach Dean Muir is delighted to have Noah Booth on board as he plots a Championship challenge.
The on-loan Wakefield youngster was at the back-end of the list when the club revealed a selection of their squad numbers for a first second-tier season since 2015.
But Muir, who in his first year at the helm guided his side to an against-the-odds rise from League One, cemented by a 22-20 victory at Swinton in a promotion/relegation decider, says his number 30 is as important as any other player on the roster.
Versatile back Booth, who turned 20 in October, scored a try on a dual-registration appearance for Hunslet in their 46-16 win at North Wales Crusaders in July to go with three in eight outings for Trinity.
While his Hunslet loan is season-long, he played for Wakefield in their Boxing Day Challenge clash at Leeds, who edged it 18-16 – and Muir liked what he saw.
“Noah scored one try and contributed to another, and didn’t look out of place at all,” he said.
“But with Wakefield being back in Super League, he might not have got games with the regularity he needs to continue his development.
“We can offer him that opportunity, and we will benefit from having a good player while he will get Championship experience, and I think the loan will be beneficial to all parties.”
Muir is equally pleased to have sealed a one-year deal for 21-year-old winger Mackenzie Turner (squad number five), who scored five tries in eight Hunslet appearances on loan from Oldham in 2024.
One of them from the Leeds Academy product came in the promotion-clinching win at Swinton, and his boss said: “He fits our template of ambitious young players, and I think he can build on what he did last season.”
Hunslet face York in a warm-up game at the South Leeds Stadium on Sunday.