Eagles' recruitment drive for 2026 continues
A further three new additions have been made this week by Sheffield Eagles Head Coach Craig Lingard as he continues to shape up his squad ahead of the new season.
Last week saw the Eagles name their first two new signings ahead of next season as York Knights winger Joe Brown signed a two-year deal with the club, having spent the last four years in North Yorkshire. Hooker Harry Bowes also put pen-to-paper on a two-year deal after a successful loan spell with the Eagles at the end of the 2025 campaign.
Another former Eagles loanee, who made seven appearances earlier this year for the club, has joined permanently on a two-year deal in Josh Hodson.
The former London Broncos man has previously played under Lingard at both Batley Bulldogs and Castleford Tigers, where he has spent time at the latter across the last two years.
The move marks a return to the Championship for the 25-year-old centre, who previously scored 24 tries in 55 appearances for the Bulldogs, where he helped the club reach both the Championship Grand Final in 2022 and the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup Final in 2023 at Wembley Stadium.
Joining Hodson in a Sheffield shirt for next season is another former Castleford Tigers man, George Griffin.
The vastly-experienced 33-year-old makes the move to the Championship club, also for the next two seasons, having made over 230 appearances in the Betfred Super League for London, Salford and Castleford.
A player who has also played in some big occasions, notably the 2019 Betfred Super League Grand Final for Salford and the 2021 Challenge Cup Final for Castleford, will bring plenty of experience to the Eagles for next season as they look to build on an 11th placed finish in the league in 2025.
A second player also joins the club from York for next year as forward Conor Fitzsimmons has agreed to join the South Yorkshire club.
The 27-year-old, who has also signed a two-year deal, has found game time limited this year in North Yorkshire, but he brings with him a pedigree of helping York reach the Betfred Championship playoffs in each of the last three seasons.
The three new additions takes Craig Lingard's recruitment up to five new players who have signed for next season, with further additions expected to be added to that number across the next couple of weeks, ahead of their return to pre-season training.