It’s been an up and down year for Hunslet this Season in the Championship, but lessons learnt and some invaluable experience will make The Parksiders stronger in their quest to be play-off contenders in 2027.
Head Coach Kyle Trout and his team opted to go for a smaller squad with more quality, but they could not envisage losing key players to retirement or long-term injury early in the Season.
The opening League fixture against Dewsbury could not have started better start when Mo Agoro scored a brilliant team try in only the 1st minute, but Hunslet gifted their opponents a charge-down try and in an attritional second half Dewsbury took their penalties and won the game 12-20.
It was a hard defeat to take, but Hunslet ran in a 0-44 the week after at Stanningley in the Cup. However losing Kevin Larroyer to a serious long-term injury and the decision of Matty Dawson-Jones to retire was not what The Parksiders needed.
Huddersfield proved too strong in the next round of the Cup winning 6-52, before Hunslet lost a controversial game at Salford. With 6 minutes to go at 18-18 Hunslet were attacking when a Salford interception looked to have been knocked-on, but the loose ball was booted and the ref waved play-on. The resulting try knocked the stuffing out of Hunslet, Salford going on to win 29-18.
To be truthful Hunslet had been their own worst enemies, but at Rochdale they hit form as Bureta Faraimo scored 5 tries in a 6-42 win, although Hunslet lost Keelan Foster to a Season ending injury.
Hunslet lost a tight home tie against Sheffield Eagles 16-24, before again having bad luck away at Widnes. Leading 18-20 after 50 minutes Dan Abram intercepted and scored a try but the touch judge brought them all the way back for a knock-on that was hard to spot. Widnes won the scrum and scored and got away with a 32-26 victory against an in form Hunslet.
With Coby Nichol now retired and Bailey Aldridge leaving for Australia Hunslet were having to take on loan-players which unbalanced the squad, but they were in games giving established Championship sides a run for their money.
The visit of Barrow was an opportunity, but Hunslet trailing 8-21 on 50 minutes left themselves with too much to do, Barrow winning 24-29. With no loan players available Hunslet had to travel to Oldham with 18 fit players, The Roughyeds being one of the League’s best teams resulted in a 44-0 loss.
The next game at Keighley was ominous as former Hunslet man Matty Beharrell helped The Cougars into a 12-0 lead, but Hunslet proved too strong running out 30-42 victors.
Newcastle were a much different team than the last time they had faced Hunslet, but from 0-12 down The Parksiders led 32-18 on the hour. However, Newcastle weren’t done and by 65 minutes it was 32-32 and possibly heading for a draw, until on the hooter Hunslet were awarded a penalty which Billy Jowitt coolly converted to bring a nail-biting 34-32 win.
In the 1895 Cup Hunslet had to again visit Oldham with a depleted squad of only 17 players. The advantage of a full and fit bench showed when Oldham turned around an 18-18 half time score to win 72-24.
Losing 2 more players to retirement in Emmerson Whittel and Mason Corbett was overcome with a superb 10-30 win at Whitehaven. Hunslet played some of their best Rugby, even battening down when Billy Jowitt and Myles Harrop came off injured.
The other Cumbrian side Workington Town though have been a bete noire in recent years for Hunslet and they proved to be again at The South Leeds Stadium winning 6-38, The Parksiders ending the game with no Jowitt, Gaskell or Battye.
A good effort at Barrow ended in defeat 36-22, before Hunslet put up a fight against League favourites London Broncos losing 18-54 (at the time London had not conceded 18 points in a game).
Hunslet could decry their luck with the fixtures. Having to play 6 of the top 8 and only 3 of the bottom 8 meant they had harder tests. Also receiving London as a replacement for Featherstone was tough and their next opponent Newcastle now had the backing of York Knights and were a much different team to 2025.
Despite that Hunslet turned in a poor performance to lose 52-6 making their next game at home to Salford a must win. The Parksiders ended 60 years of hurt beating The Red Devils 22-12 in a game they could have won by more, but the victory was important for morale with hard games coming up.
On form Widnes ran out 0-42 winners at the South Leeds Stadium, before Hunslet again were embarrassed at Workington, losing 40-14 in their poorest performance of the Season.
On a boiling hot day London Broncos ran out 78-16 winners before Oldham visited South Leeds and won 16-60 after a tough second half for the hosts on their 5000th ever game.
Having to rotate a squad and having constant injuries was tough for Head Coach Kyle Trout, who ended up having to use 50+ players, but Hunslet were always going to struggle against teams like London, Widnes and Oldham.
However the next fixture against Whitehaven was winnable. But the Cumbrians have a good tight team of local players who stick at it, and after Hunslet bombed chance after chance the visitors found themselves 0-18 ahead. Hunslet scored late tries but it was not enough losing 16-18.
It had to be a strong end to the Season to keep the Club on the right track and a dominant win at Dewsbury 20-30 and a comfortable win at home to Keighley 32-18 cheered the faithful up.
Hunslet visited Sheffield and were unlucky to come out 28-26 losers in a game they really should have won, before retiring Jimmy Watson and Kevin Larroyer were given a good send off with a 28-18 victory against Rochdale Hornets.
The late Season victories showed Hunslet can compete against teams in or around them, earlier in the Season they also showed well against teams up near the top of the League.
The fixtures certainly didn’t favour Hunslet this Season with visits to Barrow, Workington, Whitehaven, Newcastle and London and once The Parksiders had lost 6 early signings and 2 more to injury they had to rely on loans and playing people out of position, but Hunslet do play an entertaining brand of Rugby, they will however have to learn when to be more pragmatic in matches especially in tighter games.
The Player of the Season awards showed a good spread of Players are well liked.
Lee Gaskell picked up Players player of the year and Eddie Battye Coaches choice, whilst Harrison Gilmore picked up Supporters Players and Young Player of the Season.
Gilmore and Ethan O’Hanlon certainly finished the Season strongly as did Myles Harrop, and with a strong nucleus of this Season players signed up for 2027 (to be announced soon), it’s hoped with a few astute additions Hunslet could be a force to be reckoned with.
Head Coach Kyle Trout in his first full year as a Head Coach has garnered attention too, the attacking style of play Hunslet have showed has gained credit around the League and with a year of experience under his belt can Trout and his team now lead Hunslet to another level.
