Hunslet go into their last game of the season this Sunday (Aug 23rd) against Rochdale Hornets full of confidence and looking to finish on a high after a much better run of results recently.
Although Hunslet lost at Sheffield Eagles last week, they probably deserved more in the eyes of Head Coach Kyle Trout.
“For large parts we were the better team. We scored some great tries and showed more venom, especially in the 2nd and 4th quarters. We did start both halves a bit flat, which cost us, but away to 7th in the table, and we are coming away disappointed not to win shows how far we have come and bodes well for next Season.”
The Parksiders won heavily at the Hornets earlier in the year and will hope to put in as good a display on Sunday for the fans.
“We want to beat Rochdale; they have many reasons to come here and give it a go. They will have a bee in their bonnet about the game earlier in the season, and with ex-coaches and players from Hunslet, they’ll need no motivation. They had a good win in midweek at Dewsbury, but we are confident after recent performances. All our tries at Rochdale came off the back of a great defence and if we compete and be aggressive we have a strong 21 good enough to win it.”
Sunday marks the last game in a 13-year stint at Hunslet for popular full-back Jimmy Watson and for former Super League and French international Kevin Larroyer.
“Jimmy’s playing well and that is exactly what we needed. He’s an emotional leader and is at the heart of the Club, whilst Kevin has been disappointed to miss a lot of the season due to injury, he has been aggressive and hard to handle in recent matches.”
On the plus side, Billy Jowitt comes back into contention whilst Lee Gaskell will chalk up his 300th career game, but Mackenzie Turner, Liam Carr and Dan Abram are unlikely to be fit and Aiden Doolan has been loaned by his parent club, Castleford, to Widnes Vikings for the remainder of the Season.
“It’s great to have Billy back! The medical team are happy so we can consider him, and it’s a great achievement for Lee to make 300 appearances. With Aiden, it’s disappointing, but we can be proud of how far he’s come with us. There’s no question of commitment; he’s taken his chance to play for his hometown Club and we wish him well.”
The Club will be holding their Supporters Player of the Season after the game in the Phoenix Bar, and, hopefully off the back of a win with some exciting retentions for next Season to be announced it will be a happy event for all involved at the Club as heads then turn to 2027.
