Sheffield Eagles: Mark Aston will lean on London Broncos during busy spell

The importance Sheffield Eagles’ dual-registration partnership with London Broncos is set to be further underlined over the next week, as coach Mark Aston awaits who will be available for tomorrow’s showdown at Widnes.
Mark AstonMark Aston
Mark Aston

The Eagles have been well-supported by the Super League outfit since they struck a deal back in March, but coach Aston admits he needs the relationship now more than ever with three games in 10 days.

Losing star duo James Glover and Matty James has further limited his options, whilst the likes of Rory Dixon, Menzie Yere and Lewis Taylor are out on loan.

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There is no money to fetch any more signings in, so Aston will be hopeful for a similar response which saw Ben Hellewell, Dan Hindmarsh and Jacob Ogden supplied by the Broncos for the recent defeat against Toronto.

Aston explained to The Star: “The next period is massive. We had three on dual-reg against Toronto, and we might need more. If it works for them, it works for us. We'll sit down and plan for Friday, and have a look at who is available.”

The return from injury of centre Jason Crookes has been timely, with Aston able to give him a run out against Toronto.

Hellewell’s availability from London has been a major plus for Aston, and if he joins up again this week, the combination alongside Crookes will help fill the void left by the impressive Glover.

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Aside from the Challenge Cup fixture with Leigh, Aston has been able to count on help from the Broncos in every other fixture, with the experienced coach pleased with how the agreement has benefited both parties.

He added: “It is working well. Danny Ward is a close friend of Keith Senior, he is a champion of a bloke, as is Jamie Langley who is there and he obviously played here for us. There is a mutual respect for each other. It has worked well, and the nice thing is a lot of these guys who are coming to us are young. We had James Meadows recently, Jacob Ogden as well. These are young kids who really want to progress in the game. We've had Ben Hellewell too, and he just wants to play. The quality of the individuals is paramount to us. I don't want people coming here who don't want to play. I want players who are busting to be involved, and keen to play for Sheffield Eagles.”