DEWSBURY hold the unusual distinction of having been crowned League One champions more than any other club and the expectation at the Rams will be to finish top of the pile again as they aim to bounce back immediately from relegation.
The return of the Super 8s for 2025 slightly complicates matters as the West Yorkshire outfit managed just two wins as they finished bottom of the Championship in 2024, yet head coach Paul March has opted to keep faith with a significant number of last year’s squad.
At the same time, March has brought in no fewer than 12 new signings ahead of the 2025 campaign, including securing the returns of Sam Day and Toby Everett to the club.
The 45-year-old has recruited some talented prospects as well, with Dewsbury Moor’s 20-year-old Louie Walker becoming the latest member of his family to join the town’s professional club and 18-year-old ex-Wakefield Trinity academy and reserves front row Harvey Roberts signing.
Watch out for… Paul Sykes. The seemingly-ageless half is set to play his record-setting 27th season of professional rugby league, having been at Dewsbury since 2016 alone. At 43, it remains to be seen how much longer the one-time Great Britain international will continue before hanging up his boots, but he is still very much a key player in the Rams team and his experience will undoubtedly benefit the younger members of the squad too.
Squad: 1 Charlie Harris, 2 Tommy Brierley, 3 Caelum Jordan, 4 George Senior, 6 Dan Coates, 7 Jacob Hookem, 8 Jackson Walker, 9 Sam Day, 10 Toby Everett, 11 Joe Summers, 12 Matt Garside, 13 Dec Tomlinson, 14 Luke Mearns, 15 Keenen Tomlinson, 16 Louis Collinson, 17 AJ Boardman, 18 Jamie Field, 19 Jack Briggs, 20 Harvey Roberts, 21 Joel Russell, 22 Liam Copland, 23 Will Shaw, 24 Dale Ferguson, 25 Louie Walker, 26 Paul Sykes, 27 Tom Delaney, 30 Craig McShane, 31 Jack McShane.
Rugby League World predicts: 4th
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 505 (February 2025)
