Sheffield Eagles and the Power of 10

Eagles have already confirmed that James Davey has returned from Batley on a two-year deal, but Aston is waiting before confirming the rest of his new arrivals as he prepares his current side for their season-ending showdown against relegation-threatened Rochdale this Sunday.

The Eagles chief has promised that there will be some former heroes returning.

But he needs a bigger squad for next season. 

'We have 10 in the bag so far,' Aston said. 'There are one or two others that we are still on with, and as I have said the announcements of the signings that we have done will be done when the timing is correct. We need to digest what we have done this season, we'll let people reflect on that and then let's get a smile on our face and start building for 2019 and start talking about that.'

Aston has been linked with ex-Eagle Misi Taulapapa, a player he has often named when talking about the standards and the culture he is looking to recreate. Whilst Aston would love to bring back the Featherstone ace, he is also working within a tight budget with little room for manoeuvre.

Players will also leaving, with the likes of Iliess Macani (Batley), Jon Magrin (Bradford) and Max Garcia (Albi) all announcing their departures. There are likely to be more names confirmed heading for the exit soon, with Mark Offerdahl understood to also be planning for life away from South Yorkshire.

'There's plenty leaving and there will be some of those contracted for 2019 looking over their shoulder because there will be an overhaul,' Aston explained. 'There's people who have come in and done well, but there are plenty leaving with lots of new players coming in. I want to talk about players who are the future and the players who want to be part of what we are planning here at Sheffield Eagles.'

The Eagles take on Rochdale at the OLP this Sunday, kick-off 3pm.