HUNSLET coach Kyle Trout says seasoned campaigner Jimmy Watson will be a vital asset as he tries to put a tough year for the Leeds club firmly in the past.

The jump up to the second tier, clinched by an against-the-odds charge through last season’s League One play-offs, then victory at Swinton in a promotion/relegation decider, proved too much.

Hunslet were rooted to the bottom of the table for the bulk of the year, with Dean Muir departing as coach in June and Trout stepping up from assistant.

Now he is putting together a squad for the new merged second tier.

And he wants to mix younger talent like back Billy Jowitt and forwards Ethan O’Hanlon and Harrison Gilmore – all of whom have been retained – with experienced players like winger Mo Agoro, who is returning to Hunslet after spells at Gloucestershire All Golds, Newcastle Thunder, Keighley and Oldham, and versatile fullback or centre Watson, who has signed up for a 14th season in myrtle, white and flame.

Watson, who came through the Leeds Academy before moving south of the River Aire, had a stint at amateur neighbours Hunslet ARLFC when he found himself out of the side earlier this year.

But he returned to the fold and moved past 250 appearances for the club as he featured 18 times in all in 2025.

Trout, who played alongside his fellow 34-year-old during a loan spell at Hunslet from Wakefield in 2015, said: “Jimmy’s passion for the club is second to none.

“He has a wealth of experience and a real standing among the group, and he has a real presence around the place which carries a lot of weight.”

Hunslet have recruited experienced loose-forward Emmerson Whittel from Rochdale on a two-year deal and agreed contract extensions with wingers Coby Nichol and Mackenzie Turner (to 2027) and hooker Cam Berry (2026).