HUNSLET have added another hungry young buck to their squad as the 2020 Betfred 1 season hovers ever nearer.
The Parksiders’ latest acquisition is the tireless young prop Jack Ray, who has agreed a one-year deal at the South Leeds Stadium after having caught the attention of Head Coach Gary Thornton.
Thornton said: “Jack joins us from Dewsbury, having had a great junior career at Castleford.
“He is another, like Harvey Hallas and Danny King – who have also both signed for us after having been at Dewsbury – who came out of Under 19s football straight into the Championship.
“He struggled to get game time at Dewsbury but got plenty on dual registration at Coventry, where he really impressed me.
“I saw a lot of his games whilst previewing our opposition and he stood out as a young lad who was really working hard to make an impression.
“He hits the line hard and, like most young props, is fearless when going into collisions. He’s not the biggest of props but he is certainly one of the fittest I’ve seen, and very game.”
Thornton added: “He is one of our young guns who have really raised the level of enthusiasm and energy around our preseason training.
“This is his second season at League 1 and my experience tells me that he will have learned an awful lot from his introduction into adult rugby last year, which he can take into 2020 as a better player.”
Ray, 21, admitted: “I’m excited about joining Hunslet and I’m determined to put a disappointing year at Dewsbury behind me by kicking on in 2020.
“I had some good game time at Coventry when I was aware that I was in the shop window. I’m glad I caught the eye of Gary Thornton and it’s now up to me to prove that he’s made the right decision.”
He revealed: “I began playing at Oulton Raiders at twelve years of age before starting my professional career at Castleford. Wherever I’ve played I’ve had the same approach, to give everything I have.
“I’ve a strong work ethic and bags of enthusiasm and my approach is straightforward – to simply get in there and get involved.”
