Sheffield Eagles: James Davey signs new deal as Izaac Farrell told to lose weight

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The dummy-half, who was part of the famous 1895 Cup-winning side in 2019, has signed up for an eighth year representing the club over two spells.

Also sticking around in South Yorkshire are Joel and Izaac Farrell, Josh Guzdek, Anthony Thackeray and Evan Hodgson, with several new signings soon to be unveiled after 13 players departed following the ‘season from hell’.

“It was a pretty straightforward decision (to stay),” 32-year-old Davey said.

A general view of play during the Betfred Championship match between Sheffield Eagles and Bradford Bulls at Keepmoat Stadium on April 04, 2021 in Doncaster, England.Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

“I’ve not got many years left in my career and I do want to finish here.

“Whether this will be my final season or not, we’ll see how I perform and go from there.”

A motivating factor for Davey was the club’s return to Sheffield for the new season, which will also see scrums return to rugby league following a rule change by the sport’s governing body, the RFL.

Meanwhile, Aston has challenged Izaac Farrell to shed the pounds after handing the talented 23-year-old scrum-half a new, one-year deal.

The Eagles chief said: "We’ve seen glimpses from him and now we need consistency.

“He’s at a relatively young age where he can improve and get better, which is massive for us.

“I’ve challenged him to lose a bit more weight, have a bit more agility about him, and the big improvement from this year is picking the right time to run or the right time to pass and isolate defenders.”

The Farrell brothers have been selected to represent Jamaica against England Knights in Castleford on Friday.