Swinton Lions 2017 Squad: Part Four

With three wins from three in pre-season and the first league game just over a week away time to continue looking at the Lions' 2017 squad. This piece covers numbers 17-21.

Oliver (Olly) Davies comes with an excellent pedigree from St Helens for whom he made two Super League appearances.

Davies plays second row but looks to have enough size to play as a prop in the future. While with the Saints, Davies reached the Under-19s grand final where a Wigan side containing Luke Waterworth, Liam Marshall and Gabriel Fell triumphed 22-10.

John Duffy has a good record recruiting young second row forwards from Super League academy and reserve level. Connor Dwyer and Ben Austin both joined in similar circumstances and the pair will offer Davies strong competition for a place in the side this season.

Ben Austin has become a reliable member of the squad since joining in 2015. Like Davies he came through the Super League academy, in his case at Wigan where he played in the pack alongside Rob Lever and former Lion Grant Beecham.

Austin wasn't a fixture in the team early on in the 2015 season but fought his way into the side and certainly improved throughout the year culminating in an excellent display in the play-off final victory over Keighley.

Last year Austin was almost ever-present in the matchday squad and continues to improve as he becomes more experienced. Though his heart has never been questioned, some fans have suggested his size is an issue but Austin looks bigger and better in pre-season and is sure to be an important player in 2017.

Happy to play the role of pantomime villain with opposition supporters, Josh Barlow is well liked among Lions fans. His commitment and determination is visible in every game he plays and while his reputation sometimes goes against him with referees, Barlow's discipline improved as last season went on.

After signing for Wigan as a teenager, Barlow was unable to break into the first team and spent time in Australia and at Huddersfield before signing for his hometown club Halifax for the 2011 season.

Barlow signed for Swinton after two years with 'Fax and played in the second row in 2013 and 2014 as the club were relegated to League One. Barlow's performances were enough to earn a move to Dewsbury but injury halted his progress and he made a return to the Lions midway through the 2015 season.

The highlight of his 2015 season was undoubtedly charging down a Keighley drop-goal attempt in the dying seconds of the play-off final as Swinton won promotion to the Championship.

Last year Barlow found himself as stand-in hooker, a role he'd played early on in his career, following the injury to Anthony Nicholson. It looks unlikely the Scotland international will be used in that role in 2017 though with greater depth in that area so he has a real fight on his hands for a spot in the second row. After missing the pre-season games to attend a wedding in Australia, Barlow is playing catch up with the rest of the team.

Sean Kenny has been one of the stars of pre-season for Swinton. His energetic style has helped keep the Lions on the front foot in all three wins.

Coming through the academy system at Warrington, it was at the relatively late age of 21 that Kenny made his Super League debut after signing for Salford. His spell at Salford at the back end of last season helped the Red Devils preserve their Super League status with Kenny featuring in the famous Million Pound Game win which relegated Hull KR.

Kenny is a big signing for the Lions and will be looking to get back into Super League through strong performances in the Championship.

A graduate of Manchester Metropolitan University, it was Mike Butt's exploits in the student game which earned him an opportunity at Swinton in 2015.

Butt has been used as both full-back and winger in his time with the Lions and scored a try in the promotion play-off in 2015. Though he's not always been first choice, Butt has been a reliable squad player and has developed a lot over the last 18 months.

The try against Wigan in the final pre-season game was a demonstration of his speed and finishing skills and Butt will be ready to grasp any opportunities which come his way in 2017.

Swinton Lions 2017 Squad: Part Three

With the season just over two weeks away we continue to assess the Swinton Lions squad which is aiming to make the top four in the Championship.

Second-row Matt Sarsfield is an impressive addition to John Duffy's squad and comes with a fine try-scoring record.

Sarsfield played for England Schoolboys against Australia as a youngster and was on Wigan's books before moving to Huddersfield. Unable to make a breakthrough with the Giants, he gained gametime with a loan at Dewsbury in 2011.

But it was in 2013 that the mobile forward made a name for himself with a loan spell with the Lions. His try-scoring exploits playing at the Lions' temporary home Leigh Sports Village impressed the locals sufficiently to earn a move to the Centurions.

In 2014 Sarsfield was a regular as Leigh won the Championship by beating Featherstone in the Grand Final at Headingley. Unfortunately the following season injury struck and Sarsfield could only watch on as Leigh defended the Championship crown but fell short in their promotion bid.

After his release from Leigh Sarsfield joined Salford for 2016 but couldn't win a regular place in the side. He had a successful loan stint at Halifax where he scored seven tries in just nine appearances.

Sarsfield's signature is a major coup for Swinton and he's already demonstrating in pre-season what fans can look forward to this year.

Andy Thornley is another Swinton player with Wigan connections. He came through the Wigan system but didn't break into the first team. It was for Salford whom he made a try-scoring Super League debut against St Helens in 2009. Thornley won further experience with a loan at Whitehaven where he impressed enough to become a regular in 2010.

in 2011 'Chest' signed for Leigh where he became a staple of the side for three seasons. In 2014 Thornley lost his place in the Centurions side and had a loan spell with Swinton. Towards the end of the season he was handed a ban for breaching RFL betting rules and couldn't play again until midway through the 2015 season.

Thornley signed for Swinton and over the last 18 months has become Mr Reliable for John Duffy's side as they won promotion from League One and secured their place in the Championship. Thornley rarely has a poor game and his consistency makes him a contender to be club captain for the 2017 season.

The Saddleworth Rangers junior came through the Leeds academy and he made his Super League debut for the Rhinos in 2014 against the London Broncos. White spent time on loan at Gloucester All Golds before being released by Leeds at the end of 2014.

He signed for Swinton and immediately became first choice half-back, eventually forming a good partnership with Chris Atkin. The highlight of the season for White was a last second drop-goal to equalise against York City Knights and send the game into golden point extra time. Of course the Lions went on to win that game and secure promotion by beating Keighley in the play-off final. White performances earned him wider recognition as he was nominated for League One Player of the Year for 2015.

Last season the White/Atkin axis continued as Swinton avoided relegation. With the addition of Grant Gore into the squad White faces serious competition for a starting place in the team.

Andy Bracek is the experienced head in what is largely a young pack. He made his professional debut way back in 2004 for St Helens but made a name for himself at Warrington where he made 61 appearances between 2005 and 2008.

After leaving the Wolves Bracek signed for Barrow who at the time were a strong Championship outfit. In 2009 he played a big part as the Raiders won the Championship Grand Final and reached the Northern Rail Cup final.

Strong form in Cumbria earned Bracek another crack at Super League with the doomed Crusaders in 2011. That year also brought one of the highlights of his career playing for Wales in the Four Nations.

A return to Barrow who by this point were in decline meant dropping into League One for the first time in his career. But Bracek was offered a way out by Halifax in 2013. He made 88 appearances over three seasons at The Shay where he became a favourite because of his never-say-die attitude and aggressive tackling.

Last season after finding opportunities diminishing in Richard Marshall's side, Bracek was loaned to Swinton, a move which became permanent after a string of strong displays. After losing Mike Morrison last season the Lions are reliant on Bracek's experience, especially when the going is tough.

Anthony Bate played his amateur rugby at Thatto Heath before joining Leigh. The second-row forward made his debut for the Centurions in 2013 and made plenty of appearances for the club, mainly coming off the bench. Bate scored a try in the 2013 Northern Rail Cup win over Sheffield which he describes as the highlight of his career so far.

As Leigh continued to invest in their squad Bate's appearances became less frequent and he moved to Barrow in 2015 where he became a mainstay of the side in League One alongside fellow new recruit Chris Hankinson. Bate faces a lot of competition for a place in the side, the Lions have plenty of options in the second row, but he's made a good start to pre-season scoring his first try for the club against North Wales Crusaders.

Swinton Lions 2017 Squad: Part Two

We continue to look at the squad Swinton Lions coach John Duffy has put together for the new season. In this instalment we look at squad numbers 6-10.

Former Widnes half-back Grant Gore arrives with a reputation as a dangerous kicker and strong in defence.

Wigan-born Gore started at Widnes where he won Academy Player of the Year in 2010 and made his professional debut in 2011. But it wasn't until 2013 when he found more regular playing time with loans to Workington and South Wales as well as Super League experience with the Vikings.

Gore's real breakthrough though came in 2015 with a loan spell at Whitehaven. After crossing for seven tries in 23 games, the Cumbrian side made the move permanent. Last season Gore was a fixture in the side as Haven were relegated, his last try coming against the Lions on the final day of the season.

The stand-off needs no introduction to Lions supporters having made a huge impact at the club over the last few seasons.

Another graduate of the Widnes academy system, Atkin played for England Students at the 2013 Student World Cup whilst studying at Liverpool John Moores University.

The following year he signed for Swinton and managed eight tries in 13 appearances as the Lions were relegated from the Championship. Those performances impressed John Duffy enough to earn another contract and Atkin had a 2015 to remember. Early in the season he set a club record by hitting 13 goals and scoring 34 points in a Challenge Cup game against London Skolars, a record that was beaten just a few weeks later by Ian Mort!

After starting the season at full-back, Atkin made the stand-off position his own and in the play-offs he was to earn himself a place in Swinton history with two crucial drop-goals. First he scored the golden point which saw off York in the semi-final. And then in the final at Widnes, Atkin again scored a match-winning drop goal to see off Keighley 29-28.

Last season his reputation continued to grow with opposition coaches regularly earmarking him as a threat. Atkin won Lions Player of the Year for 2016 and showed his knack for dramatic moments again by setting up a last minute Stuart Littler try and then converting to win a vital two points at Sheffield in the Championship Shield.

Rob Lever came through the Wigan academy where he won Young Player of the Year in 2013. His professional debut though was for South Wales and he also gained experience with a loan to Workington in 2014.

Unable to break into the Wigan side, Lever came to Swinton in 2015 on an initial loan. He made an immediate impact with his big hits rushing out of the line popular among supporters. Lever won Lions Young Player of the Year as he helped the team to promotion with an excellent display in the play-off final.

John Duffy wasted no time in signing Lever who can play anywhere in the pack following his release from Wigan at the end of the 2015 season.

Competition for places throughout the team looks strong and nowhere is that more true than at hooker. The number 9 shirt has been given to Anthony Nicholson who will be keen to have a good year after injury disrupted his first season at the club.

Nicholson has experience touring Australia with GB Community Lions under-18s and spent time in the Wigan set-up playing for the under-20s. After moving to Leigh, the hooker made his debut in 2010 but couldn't nail down a starting spot in the team. Following a loan at Barrow in 2013, Nicholson moved to Batley in search of first team rugby.

His two seasons with the Bulldogs were spent mostly as change hooker and in 2016 he re-united with former Leigh team-mate John Duffy at Swinton. Unfortunately for Nicholson his debut season with the Lions ended early due to a bad injury and he played his last game at the start of June.

Another player who endured an injury-hit first season with the Lions is prop-forward Jordan Hand.

A product of the St Helens academy, Hand made his Super League debut in 2013 and gained further first team experience with loans at Rochdale and Whitehaven.

The following season Hand gained more extensive Championship experience with a return to Whitehaven before Wakefield gave him another taste of top flight rugby in 2015.

In 2016 Hand joined Swinton and won fans with his aggressive style and strong defence. An injury midway through the campaign hampered his progress and he'll be looking for a strong 2017 as a key part of a young pack.

Coming soon: Numbers 11-15

Stats from: http://www.loverugbyleague.com

Swinton Lions 2017 Squad: Part One

With Swinton Lions' squad numbers being announced and the first friendly game this weekend it seems a good time to start looking at the squad John Duffy has assembled for 2017. We start here with the squad numbers 1-5.

Jack looks likely to be first choice full-back after a season where the Lions had a few players fill the role with nobody really nailing down the spot as their own.

He started out with Wigan where he made a try-scoring Super League debut in a 22-30 defeat to Bradford in 2012. Lions team-mate Rhodri Lloyd also featured for the Cherry-and-Whites that day.

Unable to take the full-back position off Sam Tomkins, Murphy gained further experience with loans at Salford and South Wales in 2013. His debut for the Welsh side was a memorable victory over Rochdale in which he scored 14 points and won Man of the Match.

The following season Murphy moved to Workington where he became a very reliable player racking up more than 80 appearances over the past three years. Lions fans may remember he scored at Heywood Road last season though thankfully the home side won the game.

Fans' favourite Robbo retains his number 2 shirt for 2017.

Robinson made his professional debut for Oldham in 2011 in a heavy defeat to Steve McCormack's Lions who would go on to win the Championship One title. Aside from that tough start he had a good first year notching 8 tries from 19 appearances.

Injuries hampered the winger's progress the following season but Robinson got back on track with a spell at Oxford where he scored 11 tries in 17 appearances playing alongside future Lion Jimmy Rowland.

That good form earned a move to Rochdale for the 2014 season but it was after joining Swinton in 2015 that Robinson really made a name for himself. In the League One promotion campaign, Robinson was prolific playing outside the experienced Stuart Littler and ran in more than 20 tries including the Lions' final try of the dramatic final win over Keighley.

Last season didn't bring as many tries but Robinson's popularity continued to grow, his commitment never in doubt. One of the highlights of the memorable win at Mount Pleasant was Robinson dumping Batley centre Shaun Squires into touch.

Chris Hankinson signs from Barrow where he picked up two gongs at their 2016 presentation night.

Goal-kicking centre Hankinson started at Leigh where he made his debut alongside Matt Sarsfield in 2014.

With opportunities at LSV hard to come by, Hankinson went to Barrow for the 2015 season and it was during this year he caught John Duffy's eye as the Raiders thrashed Swinton 50-12 on a windy night in Cumbria. With 9 tries in 24 appearances Hankinson had found a settled position at Barrow who retained his services last season.

Again Hankinson continued to impress in 2016, finishing as joint-top try-scorer and kicking a century of goals. Pre-season could be a battle of the goal-kickers as current supremo Chris Atkin competes for the role with the new signing.

Welsh international Lloyd will wear number 4 for Swinton in 2017 which suggests he will be used as a regular centre. The versatile player has played in the second row and at loose forward in the past but maybe his strong running game is better suited to the backs.

Lloyd started at South Wales in 2011 where he impressed Wigan who signed him in 2012. After making his debut for the Warriors he found first team rugby hard to come by and spent much of the next three seasons on loan at Leigh, Widnes, London Broncos and South Wales.

In 2013 Lloyd featured for Wales in the Rugby League World Cup and continues as a mainstay of the Welsh side to this day. In the October last year Wales qualified for the 2017 World Cup in Australia.

It was in 2015 that the Welshman first joined Swinton on loan from Wigan. He played for the Lions in two spells bookending the season and finishing with a strong try-scoring performance in the play-off final at Widnes. Lloyd also spent time that season in Cumbria with Workington and Whitehaven.

At the end of the 2015 season Lloyd was released by Wigan allowing him to make the switch to the Lions permanent. His consistency and versatility make him a great option to have in the squad.

Matt Gardner returns to rugby league for 2017 after time playing rugby union 7s. Gardner is the brother of former St Helens star Ade and qualified to play 7s for Brazil because of their mother.

Gardner's league career is a long one and his experience in the backs is welcome following the retirement of Stuart Littler.

He has lots of Super League experience with London, Castleford and Huddersfield as well as successful spells at the top end of the Championship with Widnes and Leigh.

Lions fans will remember Matt from his last spell in rugby league in 2015 where he played a handful of games at Sedgley Park in the first half of the season. With Liam Marshall reportedly available on dual-registration from Wigan again, Gardner has serious competition for his place in the side.

Coming soon: Numbers 6-10

Stats from: http://www.loverugbyleague.com

The Boys Are Back In Town

The new rugby league season cannot come soon enough

After a domestic season which finished in dramatic style with the Million Pound Game there was a sense of excitement for first the Four Nations and then the 2017 season with Toronto joining League One and Leigh getting another crack at Super League.

The Four Nations was a disaster for the sport. Not withstanding Scotland's excellent efforts, the whole event felt flat and didn't capture the imagination of the general public. So much hinged on England's results and performances that once Shaun Johnson had put on a masterclass of in-goal kicking to defeat the 'Wall of White' (worst nickname in sport?) nobody within the English game really believed they had what was needed to win the tournament.

And so it proved as Australia cruised to another tournament win in front of an Anfield crowd which went in hope of a New Zealand upset. Wayne Bennett was criticised for his interview style, the RFL was criticised for its venue choices, Scotland were criticised for picking players who thought Perth was just a place in Australia. As is often the case in rugby league, hardly anybody had a good word to say about anything.

Since then we've had disputes over England training camps with Kieron Cunningham making it perfectly clear that he sees international rugby league as an inconvenience he could do without. The future of the World Club Challenge was thrown into doubt with NRL sides falling over themselves to decline the invitation. Denny Solomona permanently removed himself from Christmas card lists in the Castleford area by 'retiring' only to rock up at Sale soon afterwards and once again open up calls for scrapping the salary cap, bringing back franchising and getting rid of Toronto before they've even played a game because everything that has gone wrong since 1895 is their fault.

And the coup de grace is the shambles that has become Bradford Bulls. Liquidated just weeks before the season is due to kick off but with a place kept open for a new club by a governing body which frankly is in a no-win situation partly of its own making. Quite how the RFL think stitching together the ashes of Bradford in the space of a few days is a solid foundation on which to build a club is beyond me. They need to step back, analyse and learn from the mistakes made. Rushing back in is akin to falling off a motorbike and jumping back on without looking to see that the reason you fell off is because of a flat tyre.

So that has been the winter for this great sport. My call to all involved in the game is that we draw a line under it. With all the negativity coming out of the game, we have very little right to complain about a lack of positive media coverage.

2017 holds plenty of intrigue. For the first time in the Super 8s system we have seen a side promoted to Super League. How will Leigh cope with the demands of playing full-time teams every week? If the Qualifiers were anything to go by they will feel they have a shot at not just staying in SL but avoiding being in the bottom four altogether. Will we see a revival for Leeds after a tough year saw a dramatic fall from grace for the 2015 treble winners? Will Wigan's consistency see them dominate or could Hull FC or Warrington finally see a new name on the trophy?

In terms of players it will be interesting to see how Declan Patton and George Williams develop. The two are exciting prospects and potential England World Cup stars. Will Slammin' Sam Burgess rediscover his best form? What a story that would be if he could lead England to victory on Australian soil. Excitement for the World Cup may have been dampened by the Four Nations but you never know, it could finally be our year.

Outside Super League, the Championship looks wide open below Hull KR whose excellent season ticket sales are the biggest good news story of the winter and London who have been steadily building for a couple of years. Imagine what a place in the Qualifiers would do for Swinton or Oldham. Toulouse are something of an unknown quantity after stumbling over the promotion line last year and without making the raft of signings many expected. Still, the trip to the South of France was the first fixture every Championship fan looked for. A second strong club in France can only do good for the sport.

Then we have Toronto. It sounds ridiculous. A team in Toronto joining the third tier of a sport within which many regarded Liverpool as an exotic venue for the Four Nations final. The incredulity with which the announcement that the Wolfpack were joining League One was met has subsided although some you sense are desperate for them to fail just so they can say 'I told you so'. If Toronto manage even half of what the hugely convincing Eric Perez is aiming for we could be on to something big. I'll be honest I'm under his spell. If you haven't watched the interview on Rugby League Back Chat I'd urge you to do so.

We have a few weeks left before the gates are opened on the new season. Let's make some noise about how great the sport is. If we as fans, volunteers, players, coaches, administrators don't do it, nobody else will.

You never know, someone might hear it and decide to go to a game. Just as long as the game is in easy reach of the M62 and isn't taking place on a Thursday night or at the AJ Bell (traffic is a nightmare don't you know) or is the 5th time those sides have met or every minute doesn't matter or there are too many Australians on the pitch or if there are not enough Australians on the pitch or if the Bovril is cold or if......