Sheffield Eagles: Continuity is key to success for Mark Aston

That is the view of their director of rugby Mark Aston, who is looking to put the finishing touches to the remaining names who are staying form their progressive 2019 campaign.

Aston is keen to once again put his side firmly back in the top five mix on a regular basis, and to achieve this goal he explains continuity over a long period is essential if they are to relive former glories.

Aston said: “We want to get back to that position when we were back-to-back Championship winners and the key behind that success was the continuity from season-to-season. We kept a good nucleus of a squad during that time, and changed around four faces a season, that was the key to the success.”

The Eagles landed back-to-back Championship successes in 2012 and 2013, with little turnover in personnel.

For 2020, Aston has kept the vast majority of the side which, for long periods, looked set to achieve a top five finish.

He added: “We have kept who we wanted to keep, and we can build something with these guys for the long-term. We have done it before, and we'll do it again. There will be people who leave on the way, but we are building. This year it might be half-a-dozen, but we are at that stage again where we are keeping the majority of the group for longer than a season.”