KEIGHLEY COUGARS have signed young halfback Sam Ackroyd on loan from Bradford Bulls for the rest of the season.
The 19-year-old has already featured in League One this season, playing twice for Newcastle Thunder, and he spent time last season on loan at Whitehaven, making six appearances.
A product of the Bradford academy, he featured for the Bulls in the 2024 pre-season, starting against Hull FC at Odsal, and went on to play for their academy and reserve sides throughout the year.
Cougars head coach Alan Kilshaw said: “Sam has been with us for three weeks now and I’ve been really impressed with how he’s trained.
“He’s come into the group during a tough period where we’ve been working really hard and has thrown himself into contention for selection on Sunday.
“He adds depth to our halves and offers a different threat to what we currently have on the roster.”
Ackroyd goes straight into the squad for today’s (Sunday) fixture against Workington Town.
Kilshaw has had a few weeks to work on his team, after they were left without a game for consecutive weekends following the demise of Cornwall.
He said: “We’ve had a mini pre-season really, developing our physical and mental toughness and doing a lot of work under fatigue and pressure.
“Then developing and implementing my game model and just some little subtle changes like notebooks in the video room, some stuff on culture, a couple more connection meetings to strengthen that group on and off the field.
“We’re happy with the work we’ve done and we were happy to have a game to build up to and I’m sure the supporters echo that sentiment.”
