Rugby League: Paddy Flynn is set to make Sheffield Eagles bow - at last!

Sheffield Eagles are expected to give new signing Paddy Flynn a long awaited debut at the weekend, but the question remains on where he will fit into Mark Aston's side.
Widnes Vikings' Paddy Flynn is tackledWidnes Vikings' Paddy Flynn is tackled
Widnes Vikings' Paddy Flynn is tackled

The Eagles director of rugby swooped for the former Widnes ace at the start of this month, but he was denied a debut in the impressive victory over Bradford Bulls as the club awaited confirmation of registration from the rugby league authorities.

With Flynn expected to be available for this weekend’s trip to Toulouse, Aston now must decide firstly whether to change a winning team to include his latest addition, and where to best utilise a player who has predominately played his career on the wing.

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“There are opportunities at centre at the moment,” Aston hinted.

“Ben Blackmore and Garry Lo have done well on the wing, and don’t forget that Ryan Millar can play there as well, as well as full-back where he is starting to grow.

“Paddy has that experience and you can’t buy that. He has played 20-plus games at Super League as a centre - we obviously know that he has played much of his career on the wing, but he has also played a fair amount at full-back too. I think we’ll make a decision on that, but the main thing was to get him in, see were he is at, and we have done that now.

“He will definitely add something to us, and the great thing about Paddy is that he just wants to play, that’s all he’s bothered about. It is up to him now to try and impress, improve and show us what his best position is.”

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Flynn, who left the full-time game in 2016 to begin a career as a plumber, has been playing at amateur level of late, but boasts an impressive CV played predominantly at the top level.

Aston is keen to give the 29-year-old an opportunity, revealing that it was his representatives that pushed him back into the part-time game: “Graeme Taylor, his agent, pushed him forward, and we have a great relationship with Graeme because he knows that we are here to give players an opportunity,” Aston added.

“That’s what he was looking for with Paddy. I met Graeme through Jake Spedding, he was instrumental in bringing Jake to us. We have maintained the connection, and it has paid off with Paddy coming in.”