2023 WAS a year of firsts for the Choughs – first home victory, first league double, first back-to-back wins and first win over a heartlands club, and Mike Abbott’s men will be looking to repeat, and build on, these feats as the new campaign gets underway.
Having not been involved in the 1895 Cup, losing out to York Acorn in the third round of the Challenge Cup and not playing any pre-season friendlies, Cornwall will start the season having enjoyed less game time than their opponents, while that might be obvious in the first couple of rounds, it could prove beneficial as the season progresses and a longer season is taking its toll elsewhere.
With their local players having another year’s experience under their belts, and a whole host of players joining from London Skolars following their withdrawal from the league, Abbott has the most experienced squad the club has ever seen and he’ll be expecting that to be evident on the field.
Watch out for… AUSSIE halfback or fullback Cameron Brown made a huge impression in his first season with the club, scoring 14 tries in all competitions and playing a pivotal role in each of the five wins enjoyed by the Choughs. If he can recapture, and build on, that form, Cornwall could well spring a few more surprises.
2024 squad: 1 Liam Whitton, 2 George Mitchell, 3 Coby Nichol, 4 Tom Ashton, 5 Harry Aaronson, 6 Cameron Brown, 7 Adam Rusling, 8 Josh Hartshorne, 9 Luke Collins, 10 Harry Boots, 11 Nathan Cullen, 12 Darcy Simpson, 13 David Weetman, 14 Morgan Punchard, 15 Kaine Dimech, 16 Decarlo Trerise, 17 Malikhi Lloyd-Jones, 18 Matt Ross, 19 Liam O’Callaghan, 20 Christian Bannister, 21 Errol Carter, 22 Jake Lloyd, 23 Callum Abbott, 24 Jack Sander, 25 Kyle Marvin, 26 Aaron Small, 27 Jack Ray, 28 Reece Bose.
Rugby League World predicts: 8th
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 494 (March 2024)
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