Sheffield Eagles bolstered by presence of four St Helens stars for Halifax clash

Sheffield Eagles will again be bolstered by St. Helens quartet Jack Ashworth, Matty Lees, Jake Spedding and James Bentley for this Sunday's showdown with Halifax (3pm).
St Helens' Jack Ashworth will play for Sheffield Eagles against Halifax this weekendSt Helens' Jack Ashworth will play for Sheffield Eagles against Halifax this weekend
St Helens' Jack Ashworth will play for Sheffield Eagles against Halifax this weekend

All four had an impact in the opening round defeat against Dewsbury, and have been made available as Mark Aston’s side go in search of their first win of the campaign.

With loan stars Garry Lo and Cory Aston also available, director of rugby Aston must decide on who to leave out with rules ensuring that only five are available to him in the matchday squad.

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Last week Aston opted to leave out Lo after assessing the heavy nature of the Dewsbury playing surface, but the PNG ace is fully fit and ready to play should Aston employ his services at The Shay this Sunday.

“We will have all four again from Saints, plus Garry and Cory on loan so we will have to pick five from that six,” Aston explained.

“It will be a tough decision. Did we get it right last week? I think we did but this will be a different surface, a different pitch, so we will have to take that into account when we select our squad.

“It is difficult but I’ve been straight with both clubs from minute one about the fact that we may have to leave one out. I’ve got a commitment to Saints, but we also have a commitment to helping develop Garry as well.”

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The Eagles have so far been without veteran centre Menzie Yere due to visa issues, with no date yet confirmed for his availability.

The experienced operator hasn’t been involved in either pre-season friendlies against Bradford and St. Helens, and also missed the season opener against the Rams.

“We are still awaiting news regarding Menzie,” Aston confirmed.

“He is having trouble with is his visa and that is why we cannot get him out there at the moment. We are waiting for that now, the sooner the better as far as we are concerned. It isn’t ideal, it drives you mad and Menzie hasn’t helped himself either, but it is what it is, we are trying to get it done because we still need competition for places. “

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Meanwhile, Aston has confirmed that a decision is likely by the end of the week over the futures of trialists Jordan Tansey, Blake Broadbent and Max Garcia who have all been training with the club over the past month.