2009 - Eagles Finish Third

Six players were released - Paul Pickering, Michael Hill , Greg Hurst, Grant Farrow, Richard Newlove and Damien Reid to accommodate new players. The club also lost Danny Mills to Widnes, James Ford to Castleford, Rob Worrincy to Halifax (after he had initially agreed to resign to the Eagles), Craig Brown to Keighley and Adam Hayes to Dewsbury. The club were also rocked by the decision of Dominic Brambani to go to Australia. Of the original Eagles squad from 2000, only Gavin Brown remained, but he had been injured all the previous season, but agreed to continue in 2009. 

In came a mixture of players who would improve the squad defensively as well as in the attack.

• Matty Brooks (Oldham)
• Bolu Fagborun (Batley)
• Menzie Yere (Agmark Gurias) PNG
• Damian Gibson (Halifax)
• Ashley Thackeray (Hull KR)
• Trevor Exton(Ipswich Jets) PNG
• Saqub Murtza (Batley)
• Aaron Groom (Australia)
• Andy Boothroyd (Batley)
• Kyle Wood (Doncaster)
• Tangi Ropati (Easts and Samoa)
• Sam Barlow (Huddersfield)

There was some delay over the arrival of a couple of the overseas players. Aaron Groom arrived in April, whilst Trevor Exton was initially denied a visa due to a driving conviction and did not arrive at the club until the middle of May.

Financial problems in midseason at fellow Championship club Doncaster resulted in the Eagles securing the services of Michael Haley and Peter Green for the remainder of the season. Mark Aston had been trying to recruit Green for several seasons. Luke Harbottle was also signed from Leeds in July.

Aston also manged to secure the services of a few players on loan throughout the season.- Joe Hirst from Featherstone, Joe Walsh from Huddersfield and Danny Mills from Salford, initially for a month and then to the end of the season. On the coaching side, former Eagles stalwart Mick Cook replaced Rocky Turner.

Due to the ongoing problems with using Don Valley for training, the Eagles secured the use of Sheffield Hallam University’s sports facilities for training when the Valley was not free. Sessions were also organised at Sheffield United’s Shirecliffe training ground, bringing the two clubs closer together. United were looking to attract Rugby League Internationals and other high profile matches to their Bramall Lane ground, and this development led to rumours within the Eagles fanbase that, in the future, the club would be moving it’s home matches to that arena.

As with 2008, the Eagles had not organised any pre-season friendlies, sticking to their policy that the initial Northern Rail Cup games would be the route to match fitness for the squad.

As the season approached Sheffield Eagles declared objective was to secure a top 4 finish in the league and to go as far as they could in the subsequent playoffs.

The coming season also marked the club’s silver anniversary, as well as their tenth anniversary since surviving the flawed merger with Huddersfield. 

With yet another rearrangement of the group stages of the Northern Rail Group club, where clubs would now play in two Pools of ten clubs, the eagles found themselves in Pool One. Another alteration was that each club would play four games against four clubs within that pool, two games being at home and two away. The Sheffield side were to play Hunslet and Halifax at home, their two away fixtures being against Gateshead and Oldham.

The Eagles NR Cup competition kicked off with a home tie against Hunslet Hawks on February 11th. On a very cold day, which only attracted 555 spectators, the gamenearly fell victim to the plunging temperatures on the day and the referee delayed the half-time restart as he examined areas of the Don Valley pitch that seemed to be freezing. But with the backing of both clubs, he played on.

In a tentative first 20 minutes there were few clear chances of a try for either side. The Eagles took the lead with a stroke of good fortune when a kick from Hunslet’s hit one of their own players and bounced back for Matty Brooks to pick up and have a clear run for the try. Jonny Woodcock added the goal. The Sheffield side were looking the stronger with several cross-field passing moves in which half-back Brendon Lindsay and Brooks took control. Lindsay provided the final pass for second row Alex Szostak to score a try with Woodcock adding the two. He was again on hand to provide the pass that sent in Mike Roby for the Eagles’ third try. Hunslet hit back six minutes before the break with a converted try.

Hunslet scored first after the delayed restart when, following a knock-on, they went in near the corner. The home side then turned up the heat following a Hunslet sin binning. Brooks from acting half-back dived over for his second try and Lindsay produced the opportunist try of the night by collecting his own chip before touching down. Woodcock added the goals. Hooker Andy Boothroyd marked a hard-working display with a try and prop Jack Howieson blasted over under the posts for another one converted by Woodcock. Hunslet had to be content with a late score following a spell of confusion in the Eagles defence. Sheffield had secured their first points in the group stage, 38-16.

The next fixture was an away visit to Gateshead Thunder. With half backs Brendon Lindsay and Kyle Wood prominent, the Eagles were the first to score. It was a quick play-the-ball by Edwards that put Ryan Hepworth through a gap early on. Gateshead replied but Sheffield were back in front when Edwards dived over after a great break from Mike Roby, only for Thunder to twice expose Sheffield's left side defence. Trailing 18-12 at the halfway stage the Eagles were very much in the game, but Gateshead pulled away in the second half.

The Thunder pack and playmakers ruled the roost after the break as the Eagles were penned back. They had scored two tries before Hepworth's second of the afternoon gave the visitors some hope. A good set saw Edwards short pass put Hepworth over and Jonny Woodcock tagged on the easy extras to cut the deficit to ten points. But that was as far as it got as Gateshead’s response was to run in three more tries in the final quarter. Two tries in two minutes on the hour sealed Sheffield's fate. The final score, 44-18 to Gateshead.

Sheffield’s next trip was across the Pennines to Oldham, a game they had to win if they were to qualify for the knockout stage. Defensively, the Eagles had to improve to achieve their goal, and that's exactly what they did in keeping Oldham try-less for nearly an hour. The visitors were industrious and well organised with pacy-looking centre Tangi Ropati enjoying a pleasing debut, and former Oldham men Matty Brooks and Ged Corcoran answering the call of duty to set a magnificent lead on their old stomping ground.

Andy Boothroyd scored the only try of a dour first-half before Eagles went out to 20-2 with early second-half tries by Jonny Woodcock and Brendon Lindsay. As defences tired, Oldham rocked Eagles with three tries in five minutes and then had a try disallowed by a touch judge for a forward pass, a real let-off for the visitors at a time when the home side were on top. The Eagles didn't panic, and they put the game to bed with late tries by Grant Edwards and Brooks before Oldham scored just before the hooter to salvage a bonus point for the home side. Woodcock struck seven goals from as many attempts in the 34-22 victory.

The start of March brought the last Pool fixture, a home time against Halifax. It was a first return to Don Valley for Rob Worrincy following the winger's acrimonious move to Halifax. Worrincy, who was booed by a section of the Sheffield crowd, was tested with a couple of high kicks but put in some trademark weaving runs and had the last laugh with a try just before half-time. 

Halifax took the lead after six minutes with a converted try. Eagles levelled the score when Brendon Lindsay took on the line and although the stand-off was held fullback Jonny Woodcock dived from acting half-back and then added the goal. Halifax brought on all four subs and the game changed in the last 15 minutes of the half as they stepped up the pressure and Eagles handed over possession with a series of penalties. Scoring two six pointers before Worrincy’s effort, they had a lead of 28-6 at the break.

Sheffield hit back from the restart with Lindsay's break, then kick and chase spreading confusion in the Halifax defenders with ex-Halifax winger Damian Gibson, making his debut, just beating the half-back to the touchdown. Woodcock added the goal. Trialist forward Sam Barlow got the Eagles only other score late in the game with Woodcock adding the goal. Second rower Alex

Szostak battled hard, but it was a lost cause. Four more tries from the visitors gave them a 50-18 victory. Mark Aston was not impressed by his team’s performance as they failed to qualify for the next stages of the competition.

Prior to the start of the Championship season, Sheffield had the Third round of the Challenge Cup to complete. This was an away trip to France, to play new boys to the Championship, Toulouse Olympique. This was the second trip the reformed Sheffield side had had to make to the continent in consecutive seasons in the Challenge Cup.

Toulouse looked like a side that hadn’t played a game so far in 2009 and were also trying to integrate four new players from Australia. They gave away penalties and turned the ball over too often, which gave the Eagles the chance to put their recent poor displays behind them. In a dour first half, facing hailstorms and then bright sunshine, both sides struggled to gain control. Halfbacks Brendon Lindsay and Kyle Wood were starting to control the game. Despite a sinbinning, Toulouse were the first to score and led at the interval 60.

But after the break the Eagles looked the more positive and soon wiped out the deficit. Substitute forward Sam Barlow powered over the touchline from first receiver with Jonny Woodcock adding the extras. Toulouse’s hooker was shown a red card for a spear tackle on Wood after 47 minutes, which was followed by a punch-up and Eagles forward Ryan Hepworth was sin binned for retaliation. Lindsay’s opportunism with a run from the back of the scrum produced the key try to put the Eagles ahead. Woodcock added the conversion. The Eagles were controlling the ball and Matty Brooks’ pass sent in winger Damian Gibson for his second try in two games. Woodcock’s kick hit the post and failed to go over but he finished the scoring with a break from dummy half to touchdown and then add the goal.

The next round brought a home tie against Dewsbury Rams at the start of April. The Rams took an early lead with a penalty. They managed to pen the Eagles into their own half for much of the first 40 minutes, but when Sheffield did manage to break out, they made the possession pay. Alex Szostack, Dane McDonald, and Tangi Ropati combined in a move that ended with Ashley Thackeray stretching out to touchdown near the corner. 

However, another Dewsbury penalty levelled the scores, followed by a converted try and penalty that then gave them the lead. Needing to score before the interval, a Kyle Wood pass put McDonald through to score a solitary try, the Eagles going in 8-12 behind at the hooter.

Straight after the interval a loose Eagles pass resulted in a Dewsbury interception which resulted in a 70 metre try. The home side had fallen even further behind, 18-8. Gradually Sheffield started to get the upper hand through securing more ball control. Taking a pass from Wood, Woodcock dummied and slipped in to score on 58 minutes, his kick though hit the post. Five minutes later Woodcock got his next from a pass from Lindsay, levelling the scores with his conversion, 18-18. Wood was next on the scoresheet, twisting through tackles to give the home side the lead 24-18, after a successful conversion. Menze Yere completed the scoring with the last try of the game on 73 minutes, securing a 28-18 victory, and a trip to Hull KR in the Fifth Round.

That game took place in May. In front of a crowd of 4,955, second in the Super League Hull KR were more than matched by the Eagles. Props Jack Howieson, Mitchell Stringer and Ryan Hepworth put in big sets, matched by Alex Szostack and Sam Barlow. Hull took an early lead, with the conversion hitting the woodwork and bouncing over. Then Sheffield hit back, as Brendan Lindsay broke the line, passed to Menzie Yere, who blasted over the line, with Jonny Woodcock adding the extras. Yet Rovers managed to get another three scores before half time to give them a more than flattering 22-6 lead.

Rather than Hull exploiting their advantage at the resumption, Sheffield, through Barlow reduced the home side’s lead a minute after the restart. Rovers started to turn on the pressure but were matched by a resilient Sheffield defense. Then, on 56 minutes, a Wood chip kick was collected by Woodcock who ran to claim a further 6 points for the visitors, the Rovers lead down to 4 points. Hull finally responded with a try, but then Wood got the ball and twisted through tackles to score, with Woodcock claiming the two. This brought the score to 24-28. With less than fifteen minutes to go, whoever scored next would win the tie. That was Hull with three minutes left, who won the game 34-24 to progress to the next stage.

Sheffield’s first game of the new season was a home fixture against Leigh Centurions in mid-March. The Eagles opened the scoring when Menzie Yere sent in Damian Gibson to score in the corner. But the lead did not last as Leigh responded with a try and conversion. Yere and Tangi Ropati had strong games, but the forwards tended to struggle at times. A penalty from Jonny Woodcock levelled the scores after a ripping. But the home defence again let the team down as Leigh broke through and following a 20-metre dash scored again, to lead 12-6 at the interval.

The Eagles levelled just after the restart when Ropati intercepted a Leigh pass and ran 80 metres for a touch down under the posts. Quick tries from Leigh seemed to have won the game for them at 22-12, but the home side refused to give up, as Brendan Linsay organised the fightback. A quick pass to Mike Roby almost saw him through, but from the subsequent play the ball Mitch Stringer blasted through the Leigh line to score. Woodcock’s conversion marked the 700 point he had scored for the club. With five minutes to go, Lindsay and Kyle Wood combined to send Ropati over, with two Leigh players clinging on., bringing the teams all square at 22 points apiece. All to play for when in the dying seconds, the visitors claimed the three match points with a drop goal, 23-22. Sheffield only managed a bonus point.

Next was the club’s second trip to France in a fortnight. Toulouse Olympique had already lost their first game in the Championship, 70-0 the previous week. On a warm evening the Eagles added to the home side’s points against within four minutes as a fumble by the home side resulted in a 50-metre break by the visitors. Following a quick play the ball, Mitch Stringer forced himself over the line, with Jonny Woodcock adding the extras. Four minutes later a Woodcock penalty stretched the lead to 8-0. Toulouse eventually managed to claw the lead back and by halfway it was all square. The rest of the half saw the teams exchange penalties, leaving the interval score at 10 all. 

Concentrated pressure by Toulouse at the restart saw them held up twice on the line, before the Eagles responded with their own attempt to score, which was thwarted by the French defence. The deadlock broke when the home side were awarded a penalty, which gave them the lead for the first and only time in the game, 12-10. More French indiscipline saw Woodcock level the scores yet again. With eight minutes left both sides tried to ratchet up the pressure to force a win. Brendan Lindsay missed a drop goal and the French reciprocated. With less than a minute and forty to go, the Eagles broke out of their 20-metre area, Lindsay breaking the line and 20 metres from the French line passing to Ashley Thackeray who sprinted through a gap to score the winning try. Lindsay added the two. Sheffield had takenthe 3 points. 18-12 and were in fourth spot in the fledgling Championship table.

March ended with a trip to Widnes Vikings. The Eagles gave their opponents a massive scare and if hadn’t been for some baffling decisions by the referee that gave the home side the ball at crucial points in the game, they could have come away with a justified victory. The visitors were first on the scoresheet when Brendan Lindsay sent Tangi Ropati in with an inside pass to score in the 15th minute. Mitch Stringer adding the extras. Widnes responded with an unconverted try. Lindsay got the Eagles second collecting from a fumbled chip kick and dropped over the line, but he couldn’t add the extra two. Next a bomb from Lindsay was passed to Ashley Thackeray who, although held up at the line, got the ball to Alex Szostack who scored, Stringer converting. A minute from half time Widnes pulled a try back, but Sheffield were ahead 16-8. After the break, the visitors saw their lead disappear as Widnes scored quickly to turn the score around to 28-16. But the Eagles showed their character and determined tackling halted the try rush. A minute from time they scored through Kyle Wood who darted through to make the final score, 20-28 and a bonus point for Sheffield, but they dropped to 6th.

April saw a losing spate of matches in the Championship for the Eagles and the collection of four losing bonus points. The first of these defeats was at home to newly promoted Doncaster, in the Good Friday fixture, but played on a Thursday night in front of Sky’s cameras. A frantic opening four minutes saw Doncaster race into a 12-0 lead with the Eagles barely getting a touch of the ball. That soon became 14, as the visitors slotted a penalty for a grapple tackle. It was then that the home side hit back when Brendon Lindsay chipped to the corner and Menzie Yere touched down. Jonny Woodcock goaled the extras from the touch line. With the introduction of Aaron Groom, in his debut appearance, the half back then combined with Lindsay and Woodcock to send Yere in for a second try and by the break Sheffield had cut the deficit to 4 points.

After the interval Sheffield went ahead as Groom twisted through the defence and, with the conversion, they led 16-14. That did not last long as Doncaster responded with their own six pointer to restore their lead 20-16. A long pass from Lindsay to Yere saw the centre get his hat-trick and the lead was restored, following a Kyle Wood conversion, 22-20. But that lead lasted for only 12 minutes as a penalty brought the sides all square. Each side tried to gain the advantage with drop goals, and on their second attempt the visitors took the lead. Tangi Ropati then crossed the line for the home side with two minutes to go , but that was ruled out by the video referee for ball stealing. The Eagles had lost 22-23.

The second half of the Easter fixtures had Sheffield away at Featherstone Rovers. In another close game the Eagles lost out 12-20 to the Rovers, with two converted tries for Ashley Thackeray and Ryan Hepworth.

The Eagles third game in a week took place on Thursday 19th, again in front of the cameras, at bottom club Gateshead Thunder. Prior to the game Mark Aston expressed his concerns about the fixture congestion the club were facing.

Aaron Groom opened the scoring for the visitors. But that was a false dawn as the home side then went on to record an 80% completion rate in the first half, often handed possession by Sheffield errors. One way traffic in favour of Gateshead saw them reach a 31-12 lead at the break, Sheffield’s only other points coming from a try by Sam Barlow, taking a pass from Grant Edwards to go in under the posts. 

That acted as a catalyst for the Eagles. Tangi Ropati scored twice early after the resumption. Dane McDonald then took an Edwards offload to add to Sheffield’s tally. A Matty Brooks 40/20 saw Bolu Fagborun power past the Thunder defence for the visitors sixth try, reducing the home side’s lead to 31-30. However, Gateshead managed to get their act together in the last quarter to secure victory, 41-36 with Ryan Hepworth getting Sheffield’s last try and only a crucial tackle on Ropati in the dying seconds avoided another twist in the game.

Their last defeat came at home to Widnes Vikings. It was the Eagles who opened the scoring through Bolu Fagborun diving on a chip kick near the corner. Then for the rest of the half it was the visitors who racked up a 22-4 lead by the break. But after the interval it was all Eagles. Power runs from Tangi Ropati and Menzie Yere and forwards Jack Howieson and Ryan Hepworth put the visitors on the back foot. Ropati powered over from a Grant Edwards tap to cut the deficit to 12. Brendan Lindsay then picked up a dropped ball and scored. The deficit was now 6. Then a break from Fagborun led to Aaron Groom passing out to Mike Roby to go in at the corner, but Johnny Woodcock failed to convert. However he had a second chance, as Widnes kicked out on the full from the kick off. With the hooter gone, kicking from halfway, his attempt was just wide, and Widnes took the points. After the string of defeats the Eagles had dropped to seventh in the table.

As the month ended it was announced that Ged Corcoran would have to have knee surgery which ruled him out for the rest of the season. Mark Aston signed Peter Green from troubled Doncaster, a player he had been trying to bring to the club for several seasons, whilst the longer than expected arrival of Trevor Exton occurred after his visa issues had been resolved. Both players arrived at a crucial stage of the campaign with the Eagles experiencing a growing injury list, which had had some impact on team performances.

May started with the Challenge Cup defeat to Hull KR. But then winning ways were resumed, away to top of the table Halifax. Before the game Danny Mills arrived on a month’s loan from Widnes. He had signed from the Eagles at the end of the previous season but a change in manager’s at his parent club, had meant he had been out of favour for playing in first team games. 

Halifax opened the scoring in the first few minutes, but the visitors were soon on the scoresheet. Building on the efforts of Kyle Wood and Brendan Lindsay, the Eagles were never behind again once Lindsay had sent Damian Gibson in at the corner on the 7th minute, with Jonny Woodcock landing the first of eight successful attempts. Gibson scored again and with Woodcock adding the extras and a penalty for reefing soon after, Sheffield led 14-4. Halifax managed to score before the interval to cut the lead to 4 points and achieved parity just after the restart. But tries from Andy Boothroyd, and off a blistering attack by Tangi Ropati, Woodcock, had Sheffield ahead 28-16. Halifax hit back, but a Sam Barlow score on 72 minutes and a Lindsay 40 metre dash to the line on 80, secured the points for the Eagles.

Those responsible for creating the victory, the Eagles half backs, Brendon Lindsay, Kyle Wood and Matty Brooks, dictated play throughout. 

This victory was followed by the Eagles’ third game of the year against Toulouse Olympique, this time at Don Valley. Scoring 10 tries, Sheffield secured their second highest points total of the season. Prior to the game they had signed Peter Green from Doncaster and forward Joe Walsh on loan from Huddersfield. Both debutants scored , Green a solo effort and Walsh securing a brace, whilst Danny Mills marked his return to the Valley with an opportunist effort. 

Toulouse had been unbeaten in their last five games and tested the home defence in the first 20 minutes. But then Jonny Woodcock intercepted a pass, raced into the Toulouse half, passed to Brendan Lindsay who then gave it to Alex Szostack to blast over. Woodcock added the extras. Walsh was next to score, twisting through several tacklers for his first, followed by a Woodcock offload that enabled Tangi Ropati to cross for another. Woodcock missed the conversion, but it was the only one of ten attempts. Sam Barlow then sent in Walsh for his second, and then he got a clear run to the line for himself. The Eagles were 28-0 ahead at the interval. 

On the restart, Ropati produced a 35-metre break before sending in Damian Gibson and then Green was on the scoresheet following a storming break down the middle he sold an audacious dummy before scoring between the posts. Andy Boothroyd added another on 62 minutes, followed by Barlow with his second on 75 minutes. Toulouse managed two consolation tries near the end. Mills completed the rout as the hooter sounded. A penalty had been awarded. Lindsay seemed to attempt a drop goal, but it went wide way off course to the left corner where Mills had followed up to touch down. The Eagles victory, 5812increased their match points total to 15 league points, two adrift of a playoff place. 

Sheffield’s last match in May was a long trip to Barrow Raiders . Tangi Ropati was the first to score in under two minutes and before the home side could recover Brendan Lindsay made it 10-0 to the Eagles. It was not long before Barrow responded to pull a try back, before Ropati added a penalty for a high tackle, to extend the lead to 12-4. On 28 minutes an error by the visitors enable the home side to pull the deficit back as Ashley Thackeray missed a high kick to let Barrow in, with the interval lead reduced to 12-10.

When Alex Szostack barged over on 56 minutes to increase the score to 18-10, it looked as though the visitors would maintain their winning run. But all the hard work was done in a five-minute spell. Barrow squeezed in at the corner to reduce the difference to 4 points, before another error, Ryan Hepworth lost the ball in a tackle near the Eagles line offering the home side a walk in to take the lead 20-18 with 15 minutes to go. Despite the Eagles trying to regain the lead, it was Barrow who finished the game with minutes to go with a converted try to secure the points, 26-18, with the visitors only securing a solitary bonus point.

May also saw the launch of the Sheffield Eagles Hall of Fame at a special dinner arranged to celebrate the club’s first twenty-five years. It was organised on the day, twenty years previously, when Sheffield gained promotion to the old First Division. The first inductees to the Hall of Fame were:

• Gary Hetherington, the club’s first player coach, before becoming Chief Executive at Leeds Rhinos
• Kath Hetherington, who was then the first woman president of the Rugby Football League
• Daryl Powell, the first player to sign for the Eagles who then went on to play for Great Britain 33 times.
• Paul Broadbent, the captain of the Wembley winning team in 1998.
• Mark Aston, who was the club’s record points scorer. 
• Richard Pepper, a long serving club official and records keeper.

May also saw Sheffield’s injury list increase as the latest casualty, Aaron Groom required knee surgery and was ruled out for the remainder of the season.

Due to Cup Competitions, there were only two league games in June. The first was the visit of Whitehaven in the middle of the month. It was a chance to get back on track after the defeat at Barrow. The game saw the debut of Trevor Exton as well as Michael Haley, recently signed from Doncaster. 

With a Saturday lunch time kick off, forced on the club by a change in the rules by the Rugby Football League, the game was a hit and miss affair. Whitehaven were on the offensive from the kick off, but it was the Eagles who scored first, through Matty Brooks who forced his way over from acting half back to secure a six points lead. Sheffield where dominating possession through a string of nine penalties given against the visitors. With strong runs from the forwards, particularly Mitch Stringer, the home side went further ahead as Grant Edwards try, and Johnny Woodcock’s conversion increased the lead to 12 points. A Whitehaven sinbinning led to further points. The subsequent penalty saw the home side opt to take a tap in front of the posts, with the Eagles half backs combing to send Alex Szostack over to increase the lead to 18. But the visitors blasted back with three tries in five minutes to level the scores, before Brendan Lindsay’s stunning pass sent Danny Mills over at the corner with seconds to spare to give Sheffield a half time lead, 22-18.

Sam Barlow extended the lead after the break from 10 metres out to 28-18, but the visitors managed to reduce the deficit to just four points with 20 minutes left. The Eagles and their fans had a nervy last twenty but helped by a further seven penalties for continued indiscipline, held out to take the points, 28-24.

The other game was against Doncaster at the end of June, played at Featherstone’s ground. The crisis hit club had seen several of their players leave the club and as a consequence were on a six-game losing streak, some by large margins. After losing at home earlier in the season, the Eagles were out for revenge.

The game did not start well for Doncaster, as they had their full back stretchered off trying to prevent a Danny Mills try. They held out until the 18th minute, when Tangi Ropati dived over the line after receiving a pass from Peter Green, to give the visitors a 6-0 lead. Doncaster scored next to reduce the advantage to two points, and then the floodgates opened. Menzie Yere got into gear, punching holes in the Doncaster defence. His first try, on 26 minutes followed by his second on 30, and then an off load to Mills on 34, put clear daylight between the sides. His hat-trick came from a 60-metre chase with a minute to the interval, giving the visitors a healthy 28-4 lead.

The restart provided no respite for the beleaguered Dons. Tries from Craig Cook, kyle Wood and Yere with his fourth extended the lead to 44-4 on 50 minutes, sustaining the Eagles dominance. Brendan Lindsay and Ropati, with an 80-metre interception maintained the momentum, with a Damian Gibson hat-trick between the 62nd and 68thminute, taking the score to 72-4. Doncaster pulled a try back with four minutes to go, but the Eagles ended the scoring with Matty Brooks scampering score bringing the game to an end, victory by 78-8. Jonny Woodcock landed 11 from 14 in the game, which with results going their way elsewhere, helped Sheffield into the play off places.

The month brought a mixture of news on the player front. It saw the return of

Craig Cook from Doncaster, who signed until the end of the season, whilst Danny Mills loan was extended. However, Dane McDonald, who had already had a run of injuries during the season, was ruled out for the rest of the season with a broken hand. 

June also saw the Eagles take their case for building a purpose-built stadium as a Centre of Excellence for rugby on the border between Sheffield and Rotherham border to Parliament. Positive discussion had already been held with the two local authorities concerned and they were now seeking to secure the support of local MPs. 

The stadium would have an 8-10,000 capacity and would have training facilities linked to rugby, with a focus on catering for both codes. The club believed that the way Don Valley was designed, with a running track around the pitch did not create the atmosphere rugby needed. The idea gained the support of the MPS who attended.

Sheffield met Batley Bulldogs at home in early July as they tried to consolidate their playoff place. Despite the visitors taking an early 4-0 lead, the game was again dominated by a powerful Eagles performance, led by prop Mitch Stringer. The home side came back into the game with a series of penalties. Menzie Yere was the target of the Batley forwards, but he hit back with a bone crunching tackle that drew gasps from the crowd. Sheffield drew level on 13 minutes as Stringer received an inside pass from Brendan Lindsay, to crash over for the first of his three tries. Next a cross field passing move led to a Grant Edwards off-load to Tangi Ropati who claimed the try. Following a drive from Michael Haley, taken on by Ropati, Craig Cook was next on the scoresheet. The Bulldogs problems increased as they lost a player to the sinbin, then, a minute to the hooter, Lindsay produced a long pass to Yere, who used all his raw power to touch down in the corner, increasing the lead at the interval to 18-4.

After the interval, the Eagles defence was quite happy to soak up the pressure from the Batley attack up until the last 20 minutes. With Batley tiring fast, Stringer made the game safe with two tries. Ropati, Yere and Cook produced the break for Stringer to score under the posts, and then four minutes later he wriggled through the defence to create his third. Sheffield were home, 30-4, moving into 5th in the table, six points behind leaders Halifax.

The following weekend, the inaugural Northern Rail 9’s took place. Held at Blackpool’s ground, this was not a priority for the Sheffield coaching staff, who had included five players from the reserves in his squad of 15. - Kyle Kesick, Mark Renshaw-Smith,

Cory Hanson, Jamie Cottle and Dan Townsend. All got valuable game time.

The Eagles won two and drew one of their group ties, before drawing Leigh in the Quarter finals. Dispatching them. 50-10, they had a semi-final against Featherstone, who they beat 20-14, qualifying for the Final against home side Blackpool. After being 10- 0 down at the interval, the Eagles had managed to level the scores, before Blackpool got the crucial try that won them the game14-10. Mark Aston was relieved that all his players got through the competition unscathed, as that had been his major worry on having been made to enter the competition. The young players had a lot of valuable match experience from the tournament. Commenting on the weekend. Aston said that all who had been involved had enjoyed it and he complimented Blackpool and the RFL for having organised a well-run event. Following the tournament Kyle Kesick was loaned out to Doncaster to help him gain even more game-time experience.

Following the Nines Tournament, the Eagles had an away visit to Leigh Centurions, where mistakes by the visitors caught up with them during the game. Poor defending in the first half let Leigh establish and 18-0 lead by the interval. Still on the back foot as the second half began, Craig Cook took a tap and scored on 54, minutes, to be followed by Kyle Wood racing away from the defence before passing to Damian Gibson who hugged the line before cutting into score. Then a great passing move from Mere Yere, involving Cook, Wood, and Alex Szostack, who passed to Danny Mills his try levelling the tie at 18 apiece. But a converted try and penalty, restored Leigh’s lead, 26-18. With three minutes to go, a 20-metre break by Yere, before passing to Jonny Woodcock to score, narrowed the home side’s advantage to two points. However on the next Leigh attack, they manged to get over the line with a minute to go, to take the tie, 32-24. With the bonus point, Sheffield were still in the play-off places.

Three days later, Sheffield were in front of the cameras again, with a home fixture against Gateshead Thunder. The crowd of 1.410 and Sky viewers were subject to a try fest as the Eagles scored 9 to Thunder’s 6. The home side were soon punished for a sluggish start as the visitors took an early 4 points lead. But they soon responded when a break by Peter Green sent Damian Gibson over for his first try, the Eagles having a 6-7 lead. His second came on 19 minutes when he latched on to a Kyle Wood chip. Ashley Thackeray scored on 25 minutes, before Jonny Woodcock set up a spectacular try claiming a high ball in front of the posts and then racing 60 metres before passing to Menzie Yere who increased the home side’s advantage to 16 points. After having a try chalked off by the video referee, Thunder hit back with two tries of their own to narrow the advantage to 20-16. But Ryan Hepworth steadied Sheffield’s nerves going in under the posts to give the home side an interval 26-16 lead.

That lead was narrowed on the restart as a Gateshead interception reduced Sheffield’s advantage to 6 points. Then the Eagles opened the floodgates as they scored three tries. Craig Cook and Peter Green combined to send Brendan Lindsay over, then Thackeray claimed his second, and Gibson his third. Wood completed the Eagles scoring spree after a passing move between Trevor Exton and Lindsay. Sheffield were 46-20 in front and, despite Thunder pulling two tries back to try and secure a bonus point, ran out winners 46-30. Sheffield were now 5 points ahead of seventh placed Toulouse.

As the Eagles injury list continued to remain high, the club signed Luke Harbottle from Leeds and Joe Hirst from Featherstone to ensure cover. Brendan Lindsay was named Championship Player of the month for July which led to Mark Aston comparing him “with a vintage wine, as he is getting better every year.”

With only a few games left in the league season, as August approached, Sheffield faced two must win games if they were going to be guaranteed of a playoff place. The first was a trip to Whitehaven. The Eagles at this stage had only won two away games all season, and victory again was not to be. The home side took an early lead, but Danny Mills redressed the scores, taking a high ball to ensure that the score were level at 6 each. But Whitehaven’s forwards denied Sheffield the space and were soon 24-6 in front. Some astute substitutions gave the Sheffield side the momentum they needed, with Sam Barlow blasting over for a try. With a minute to the interval, Alex Szostack made a break before sending Menzie Yere on a power run, crashing through tackles and swerving round the posts, to reduce the half time deficit to 24-16.

Soon after the restart Brendan Lindsay scored, with Jonny Woodcock adding the two. But then the Eagles were hit as Woodcock was put out of the game by a leg injury. Whitehaven extended their lead to 36-22, before the visitors responded again. Kyle Wood grabbed a try after breaks by Yere and Danny Mills, with Mitch Stringer adding the extras. Next Michael Haley took a Wood chip to bring the home side within 2 points with the conversion. But the home side pinned the Eagles down in their own 20 metres in the closing minutes to secure the victory, 36-34.

The Eagles next away victory occurred with the visit to Batley Bulldogs. An even first half, with the Bulldogs taking the initial lead on 13 minutes, Sheffield responded. A 60 metre try from Danny Mills, created by Menzie Yere and Kyle Wood and a second touchdown by Brendan Lindsay aided by Craig Cook gave the visitors the lead. However Batley pulled a try back to go in 12-10 behind at the break. 

The second half resumed with Batley sending the ball out of play. Playing up the slope the Eagles pack made great headway for Wood to score an unconverted try. From the restart Yere and Tangi Ropati tore great gaps out of the home side’s defence allowing Trevor Exton and Lindsay to exploit the space and send over Mills for his second. The visitors continued to dominate when a clever chip from Lindsay enabled Luke Harbottle to get his debutant try. On 56 minutes Exton and Joe Hirst combined to send Lindsay over for a well-deserved touchdown, the score now 34-10. In the last quarter, the home side tried to secure a bonus point. Two attempts were held up over the line, but with six minutes to go they scored and repeated the effort four minutes later, to end the tie 34-22 to the Eagles.

Four days later, they were at home to Halifax, who had been on a three-game losing run and were desperate to end that. The visitors were hit by a blow before kick-off when Worrincy had to withdraw due to injury. Ryan Hepworth gave the Eagles an early lead, but the visitors hit back to lead 18-4 on the half hour. However Sheffield clawed themselves back into the match. Kyle Wood provided the pass for Mitch Stringer to muscle over for a touchdown before a Trevor Exton grubber brought the second. A late Tangi Ropati effort was held up, the home side going in at the interval 16-18 behind. 

After the break, Halifax increased their lead before a movement involving all 13 players from the home side ended with Ropati sending Ashley Thackeray over in the corner. Then Ropati got his fingers to a Wood chip to put Sheffield in front, 26-24. Captain Jack Howieson blasted over for a try from an Alex Szostack pass. Wood produced a 40/20 to keep the pressure on the visitors. Mitch Stringer almost forced himself over. Ryan Hepworth’s late 50-metre break was thwarted. But in the dying seconds Lindsay provided Danny Mills with the pass which enabled him to score in the corner, with Jonny Woodcock kicking the goal from the touchline, to secure a 38-24 victory, moving the Eagles level with Halifax in the table.

Featherstone Rovers were the next opponents at Don Valley. Playing on a surface that had up until days before been used for a U2 concert the pitch had an impact on the game. The Eagles shot into the lead at the kick off when a fumble by their opponents led to a Lindsay chip which Menzie Yere latched on to and scored in the first minute amid several Rovers players. He then had to go off with an injury that kept him out for the remainder of the game. Featherstone were being out thought and out played. Alex Szostack was held 10 metres out and then Craig Cook dummied his way in from acting half under the post, 10-0 to the Eagles. Brendan Lindsay was taken off with a gashed leg and the officials inspected the pitch in the area where it had happened near to the posts, but nothing was found. Tangi Ropati then ran through the visitor’ s defence to set up a try for Kyle Wood. Michael Haley’s drive was halted near the line but Matty Brooks short pass to Peter Green saw him crash over the line which with Jonny Woodcock scoring three conversions gave the Eagles a 22-0 lead.

After the interval the Rovers battered the Eagles line which brought them dividends with a converted try on 43 minutes. .With Lindsay returned to the pitch, his pass to Danny Mills was deemed forward and the subsequent try was chalked off. The constant pressure from the visitors brought a further converted try just after the hour. But they were taking chances and a fumbled pass led to Lindsay kicking on to secure a much needed touchdown. In the closing minutes Rovers were denied potential touchdowns by first Woodcock and then Kyle Wood and did not secure a bonus point. The home side had won 28-12 and were third in the table. 

The Last match of the season was another home fixture, this time against league leaders Barrow Raiders . A good old fashioned arm wrestle in front of the TV cameras. The visitors opening effort, after only a few minutes had gone, was ruled offside by the video referee. The Eagles forced a drop out at the other end. Craig Cook, Matty Brooks and Kyle Wood combined to send Menzie Yere over for a touchdown near the posts, with Jonny Woodcock adding the extras. The Eagles scored again through Jack Howieson but that was ruled out for a double movement. On 16 minutes the visitors levelled the tie and then went ahead four minutes later. Sheffield responded just before the half hour as Sam Barlow’s pass sent Joe Hirst in but he was held up. With Barrow’s defence in tatters, Cook opened a gap for Barlow to run through to extend the lead by another 6 points, Woodcock providing the extras. As the interval approached a field goal from Wood was charged down, but Sheffield retained possession. Cook then got the ball to Mitch Stringer who scored between the posts, ensuring the home side went in 18-10 in front.

With torrential rain in the second half, Trevor Exton grubbered in to the in-goal area for Danny Mills to extend the lead on 48 minutes. Two penalties by Barrow in the 57thand 63rd reduced the lead by 4 points, keeping their chances of the vital bonus point alive. Further field goals reduced Sheffield’s advantage to six points and then the visitors scored on 72 minutes to level the scores. With very little left in the tank, the Eagles managed a field goal through Cook to take the lead and following a further try attempt by Barrow which was held up on the line, the next move saw Cook touching down to secure the match points for the home side, 29-22, and cement the Eagles in third place, whilst Barrow became the minor league champions.

Finishing third in the division, Sheffield went into the Knockout stages, with home advantage to play 6th placed Featherstone Rovers on the 11th of September. The Rovers intention from the outset was to disrupt the Eagles playing style. In the first minute of the game, Featherstone were penalised for lying on. It then degenerated into a fight with both Craig Cook and a Featherstone player been sent to the sinbin and the incident placed on report. The Eagles were determined, but a couple of errors led to Featherstone scoring first on the 10th minute. They doubled their advantage on 18 minutes, with a penalty Soon after. Then as Rovers laid siege to the Sheffield 10 metre line, a dropped pass led to a 26 man brawl which was started by Featherstone. The consequence was a sin binning on both sides, Sam Barlow being the unfortunate Eagles player and a sending off for both teams, with Ryan Hepworth being the Sheffield player, for running in. This incident was placed on report. Jonny Woodcock took the penalty, and the home side were trailing 2-14 at the interval.

Both sides traded penalties after the break before Rovers scored again to make it 2-18. Sheffield then appeared to click into gear for ten minutes, with Matty Brooks breaking down field, gaining good field position. Brendan Lindsay found Peter Green out wide whose pass to Danny Mills ended in a try, with Woodcock kicking from the touch line. In the next attack Lindsay was deliberately taken out off the ball chasing his own kick, but the Rovers player remained on the park. After that it was Rovers who continued to pummel the Eagles, scoring in the 63rd, 75th and 78th minutes. Defeated 8-32, Sheffield were out of the play-offs for another season. Featherstone progressed, but were knocked out at the final semi-final stage.

The outcome of the subsequent disciplinary was that the Featherstone player got sending off sufficient, even though he instigated the melee whilst Hepworth who was held and hit by a couple of Rovers players, got a three-match ban for the RFL Disciplinary committee for defending himself and Sam Barlow. As for the rest of those involved, the instigators got of lightly for their deliberate match plan of action.

Menzie Yere was Championship player of the month for September.

On the player development front, the Sheffield Eagles Scholarship had gone from strength to strength. In 2009 they had 43 registered players from under 13 to 16. 

At end of Year Eagles signed Reece Williams, Dan Horsfield and Cory Hanson. Into their first team squad

Attendances were marginally up for the season. The average of 1,090 represented an increase of 2%, whilst the Championship average crowd of 1,720 was down 16%. The Eagles had the eighth highest attendance in the League, with a total of 14,762 attending games at Don Valley.

Financially the club recorded a loss for the financial year of just under £30,000. This was an improvement on the previous year’s deficit of 24%. Whilst Turnover income rose by over 35% to £603,648, staff and player wages grew by 28.3% to £439,838. The club’s declared aim was to be ready by 2015 to submit a Super League licence from then, but to do that they would need to achieve a minimum of 2,500 average home attendance rather than the 1,200 that were being achieved. Increasing their profile in the City would cost money and that could only be financed by increased gates. 

• Player of the Year: Menzie Yere
• Supporter’s Player of the Year : Brendon Lindsay
• Players Player of the Year: Mitch Stringer
• Coaches’ Player of the Year: Ryan Hepworth
• Website’s Reader Player of the Year: Ryan Hepworth.
• Chairman’s Champagne Moment: Menzie Yere’s tackle against Batley Bulldogs. 
• Brendan Lindsay and Menzie Yere in the All-Star Championship Team. Menzie Yere had also been nominated for the Championship Player of the Year, whilst Mark Aston had been nominated for Coach of the Year.
• Sheffield Eagles were recognised as having the Best Community Programme of the Year. 
• International Appearances Jack Howieson Mitchell Stringer, Brendan Lindsay Alex Szostack (Scotland) capped for World Cup. Menzie Yere (PNG) and Tangi Ropati (Samoa) in the Pacific Cup.
• Cooperative Championship Fan of the Year Martin Brooks