It doesn’t seem too long since this column was reflecting on the nomadic season of Jake Sweeting.
Over five months in 2021, the then-Featherstone Rovers halfback (pictured) played 15 matches for five clubs in four competitions.
His list of appearances included two finals, one of them at Wembley, and one fixture – with a try – in Super League.
Sweeting’s campaign started and finished with games involving Workington Town, although they weren’t among the four teams he turned out on loan for.
Rather, he had one outing for Hunslet, another for York City Knights, against whom one of his two appearances for parent club Featherstone came in the 1895 Cup final success at the national stadium, then one for Castleford Tigers, has first professional club, when he crossed in the 34-16 home defeat by Huddersfield Giants.
Sweeting finished the year with ten matches for Doncaster in which he notched five tries and kicked 13 goals, one of which was a last-gasp, high-pressure touchline conversion which clinched the victory at Keighley Cougars which put the South Yorkshire side into the League 1 play-off final at Workington, where they were beaten 36-12.
The many moves of the 22-year-old, who after the season finished, left Featherstone for Dewsbury Rams on a one-year contract, are unusual.
But they illustrate why some argue the loan system, which was amended to account for the affects of the pandemic on player availability, now needs to be tightened up again, particularly since dual-registration is back.
Maybe the minimum length of a temporary switch should be extended (Wakefield Trinity have just taken Salford Red Devils’ Morgan Escaré for a two-week spell, which covers the length of a suspension for their own fullback Max Jowitt, causing some controversy) while the number of loan players clubs are permitted over the course of a season should come down.
Loan appearances can sometimes be a little difficult to distinguish from those on dual-registration, with the added confusion of Leeds Rhinos and Bradford Bulls recently changing their partnership from the former to the latter.
Leeds’ previously-announced dual-registration deal with Featherstone has now become a more informal loan partnership.
Many believed Bradford to be in a dual-registration partnership with Hull, but the Rugby Football League has confirmed to League Express that the agreement was never registered with them, leaving the Bulls free to link up with the Rhinos.
The other partnerships logged with the governing body are between Huddersfield and Halifax Panthers, Hull KR and Dewsbury, Salford and Barrow Raiders, St Helens and Leigh Centurions, Warrington Wolves and Widnes Vikings and Wigan Warriors and Newcastle Thunder.
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