Hunslet’s head coach Gary Thornton doesn’t mind admitting that the Parksiders had to work hard to re-sign Jordan Andrade. But he has no regrets at all, as pre-season preparations continue apace, about snaring the powerful prop. And neither has the Jamaican international.
Andrade has signed a one-year contract after having shone in Hunslet’s last four games of the 2019 campaign following his capture from Dewsbury Rams.
He said: “I’ve really settled in here. It’s good to be at a place where you feel valued.
“I think I played well in my four games towards the end of last season and I was very impressed by Head Coach Gary Thornton.
“Hunslet have good plans in place and are building for promotion from the Betfred League 1, with GT getting a strong squad together. I hope I can help the club achieve that goal, and I’ll be doing my best to play my full part in our bid.
“I also want to get a good year of Rugby League under my belt as I’m keen to cement my place in the Jamaican set-up ahead of the 2021 World Cup.”
A former junior with Huddersfield amateur outfit Newsome Panthers, Andrade joined the RAF at the age of 17 and learned much of his Rugby League in Armed Forces competitions. The prop, who will be 28 in January and who is sponsored by Fred and Jane Hopkins, reflected: “My game’s built on strong running and aggression, and committed defence.
“I don’t take a backwards step and I like to think that I add something to morale off the field as well; attitude and being able to have a laugh – at the right time – is very important in any team sport, none more so than in Rugby League where team spirit is so important when the chips are down in games.
“There’s genuinely a great spirit at Hunslet, and the fans are fantastic. Sometimes you think to yourself at this time of the year, having signed for a club, `what have I done?’ It’s not at all like that here, in fact it’s been exactly the opposite for me.
“I’m excited about being at Hunslet and I’m aiming to help provide a strong platform, with such as Zach Braham and Harry Kidd, for our halfbacks Dom Brambani and Simon Brown to work their magic.”
Thornton said: “I’m delighted we’ve got Jordan on board. I saw him play for Jamaica against England Knights, when he was very impressive.
“We’d verbally agreed terms at that stage and I knew that several other clubs were interested in him. We had to work to get him but happily he’s decided to come to us.
“The challenge now for Jordan is to get fully fit, which shouldn’t be in issue as he can expect regular rugby. He’ll be a big figure for us, he’s got punch and he’s a big unit; we’re building a strong pack after losing Michael Haley, Adam Robinson and Mike Emmett.”
