Sheffield Eagles boss delighted with new boy

The early signs for Pat Moran are positive according to director Mark Aston after the Warrington loanee made his Sheffield Eagles bow against Toronto at the weekend.
Sadiq AdebiyiSadiq Adebiyi
Sadiq Adebiyi

The youngster arrived in South Yorkshire late last week after sealing a month long stay from the Super League side.

Moran, who has played six times for fellow Championship side Rochdale Hornets already this season, lined up for Aston’s side for the first time, alongside London ace Dan Hindmarsh, who arrived on dual-registration alongside Sadiq Adebiyi and Ben Hellewell.

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The 21-year-old impressed Aston in his inaugural outing, and despite having had relatively little time in the Steel City, the prop has given the Eagles chief plenty of encouragement going forward.

“I thought that Pat Moran was outstanding,” Aston explained, following his debut appearance.

“He really took it to the opposition. He was big, he was physical. Some of the plays he was involved in, it looked to me as though he was fitting into what we were looking for. It was a good start for him. I was delighted with him.”

Moran’s stay with Eagles has initially been outlined for a four-week stay, but Aston has already hinted that extending the deal further has been mooted.

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Eagles are without a fixture this weekend, as Aston uses the time to rest up some of his troops ahead of an Easter Bank Holiday double-header.

The 51-year-old will get an extended look at Moran against Toulouse and his former club Rochdale, but the experienced coach may already have seen enough to suggest he would like to see much more of his latest addition.

Aston added: “There's a view that a deal can roll on after a month. He's probably down the pecking order in what is a very good and competitive Warrington side. When I was with Ireland he was somebody that I was looking at very closely, we were ready to bring him into the system. He has some ability, he has shown us that already, and we are looking forward to working further with him in the coming weeks.”

The Eagles slipped to fourth in the Championship standings following defeat against the Wolfpack, and face a tough test when the season resumes on Good Friday against second-placed Toulouse at the Olympic Legacy Park.