FOR a side who played virtually the whole season away from home, finishing the year 80 minutes away from promotion to the Championship was certainly an achievement worth celebrating for North Wales Crusaders.
Delayed works on the pitch at Eirias Park meant the Crusaders had to play seven of their nine home matches at other venues around North Wales and the north east. Add to that a string of injury problems at the start of the season, a late season surge to see them finish sixth and then go on to make the play-off Grand Final, shows just what potential Carl Forster’s side possesses.
With a bigger squad more adapted to cope with any injury setbacks, and their home venue set to be available to them for the full season, Forster will be hoping that the stability both those factors will bring, will allow his team to remain fully focussed on realising that.
Watch out for… PATRICK AH VAN has returned for a second spell at the club after a year with Oldham. As a proven try scorer throughout his career, Ah Van will add further firepower to the Crusaders’ three-quarter line. With goal-kicking abilities too, his points could have a major say in where the Crusaders finish.
2024 squad: 1 Owain Abel, 3 Kieran Taylor, 4 Matt Reid, 5 Patrick Ah Van, 6 Dan Coates, 7 Toby Hughes, 8 Ben Evans, 9 Pat Rainford, 10 Chris Barratt, 11 Ryan Ellis, 12 Matty Unsworth, 13 Carl Forster, 14 Paul Nash, 15 Shaun Costello, 16 Jack Holmes, 17 Callum Cameron, 19 Joe Baldwin, 20 Jono Smith, 21 Levy Nzoungou, 22 Adam Carr, 23 Louis Else, 24 Adam Wilkes, 25 Jorge Cabral, 26 Reece Bushell, – Jake Bloxham, – Alex Deery, – Jamie Jenkins, – Kallem Rodgers.
Rugby League World predicts: 6th
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 494 (March 2024)
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