2010 - Bramall Lane Here We Come

Mark Aston succeeded in retaining all his key players from his successful 2009 squad on either one or two year deals. Peter Green signed a 2 year deal. Michael Haley. Criag Cook, Ashley Thackeray, Matty Brooks and Sam Barlow signed for another year, whilst others, like Tangi Ropati and Menzie Yere were longer term contracts. Danny Mills, after his successful loan spell, resigned from Salford; Joe Hirst, a previous loanee from Featherstone also signed: whilst, on his release from prison, Alex Rowe also signed.

There were also players who left. Kyle Wood went to Huddersfield; Bolu Fagborun signed for Rochdale; and Grant Edwards for Doncaster. Mike Roby had been unable to find a job locally on graduation and had moved back home. Andrew Boothroyd ,Tom Buckenham ,Matthew Whittaker, James Morrow and Nick Turnbull had all been released. New signings included:

• Misi Taulapapa (Cronulla Sharks)
• Richie Barnett (Unattached)
• Jason Mossup (Workington)
• John Coleman (Dublin)
• Kyle Kesick (Academy)
• Joe Walsh (Huddersfield)
• Tim Bergin (Laois)

Barnett had previously played in Super League but had been banned by the RFL for two years for taking illegal substances. Joe Walsh signed a contract but did not turn up for training after December. It was rumoured he was seeking a start in Rugby Union and eventually he had his contract cancelled. Kyle Kesick went out on loan to Doncaster in March and signed for them permanently at the back end of the season.

The club also signed players as the season progressed, to address departures and long term injuries. Mike Burnett came on loan from Hull, whilst Simon Brown (Doncaster) and Andrew Henderson (Barrow) signed in the Eagles final push to the playoffs.

The club also boosted their coaching squad with the inclusion of former players Greg Hurst, and Gavin Brown. Brown had decided to retire at the end of the 2009 season due to injuries. He had played 197 games for the Eagles scoring 927 points from 383 goals 21 drop goals and 35 tries. 

Several players were still recovering from injury or suspension at the start of the season. Ryan Hepworth had a three match ban, whilst captain Jack Howieson had a single match ban, both stemming from the mass brawl that broke out during the playoff game against Featherstone at the end of the last season. Danny Mills due to an operation on hand, whilst Menzie Yere was stuck in Papua New Guinea until February, arranging a visa for his wife to join him in Sheffield. Misi Taulapapa was unable to get his visa secured until the start of February.

In the pre-season the Eagles had reached a deal with the board of Sheffield United to play several games at Bramall Lane in the latter half of the season rather than all of them at Don Valley. The initial deal was to play 9 Championship games at the Lane with the remainder, including NRC and Challenge Cup games were to be played at Don Valley. It was also decided to revert to playing most home ties on a Sunday. 

According to a statement issued by the Sheffield Eagles Board:

The declared aims of the Eagles for 2010 were focused on bolstering attendances, build upon their Community Club of the Year award to help tick all the boxes required for a future Super League application. 

Before the 2010 Season kicked off, the club had arranged two pre-season friendlies.

The first of the friendlies was a trip to Doncaster on the 17th January , with the South Yorkshire Cup at stake. The game gave an opportunity for some of the younger members of the squad to have a run out in preparation for the start of the new season. Doncaster applied early pressure and the Eagles response gave away three penalties in the first five minutes. But Doncaster failed to make their possession count and were caught on the counterattack when Matty Brooks played a dummy pass which allowed him to walk under the posts. Irish trialist, John Coleman, easily converted to give Eagles a 6 - 0 lead. 

Tempers flared soon after with a high tackle from Eagles Sam Barlow which resulted in a penalty Two minutes later Doncaster forced their way through to touch down under the posts. The scores were level. The Dons continued to pressurise t and were disallowed an early try for a forward pass on the try line. They finally got a breakthrough, due to sloppy defence from Sheffield , to score underneath the posts for a 12-6 lead. The visitors hit back five minutes later with a surging run from Tangi Ropati, who glided past three players to score in the corner. Coleman’s conversion from on the right hand touch line resulted in a half time score of 12 all.

The restart saw little action until the hour when Doncaster restored their lead 16-12. In the last quarter the Eagles brought on some of their more experienced players to add an extra dimension to the attack. Two tries in two minutes from Sam Barlow and Corey Hanson saw the Eagles retake the lead, both converted by Coleman. The Eagles maintained their strong defence to keep the Dons out for the remaining seven minutes to see out a 24-16 points victory and the Cup.

The second pre-season friendly was captain Jack Howieson’s testimonial game at Don Valley against Super League Hull FC a week later. Well attended by both sets of fans, it was a fitting tribute to Jack Howieson, who put in a man-of-thematch performance. The Eagles started on the back foot, conceding a try in the first 70 seconds to go 6-0 behind. Sheffield tried to respond but found it difficult to breach the Hull defence. The pressure told once again on the Eagles when in the 12 minute Hull scored in the right hand corner. The conversion was missed, and the home side were further behind, 10-0. Hull continued to pound the Eagle line, scoring four tries to lead 34-0 at the interval. 

The second half saw a spirited Eagles fight back even after conceding another early try. Sheffield fought on and their perseverance paid off when Craig Cook cut inside the defence and scored under the posts. Irish trialist John Coleman converted to reduce the deficit to 40-6. Eagle half-back Aaron Groom then created another chance for the home side. Groom kicked ahead which allowed centre Jason Mossop to fly in and pick up the ball on the five metre line, brushing off two Hull players to score. Coleman converted from out wide to make it 4012. Hull scored the last of their tries in the right hand corner. Shortly after the Eagles hit back when Corey Hanson put pressure on a Hull player who threw the ball aimlessly to avoid it going out into touch. Hanson won the chase to the ball, kicked ahead, and beat Hull’s scrambling defence to score. Testimonial star Jack Howieson kicked his first ever conversion, in ten years at the club, to see off a fine second half display from the home side which ended 46-18 to Hull.

As the Kick off day for the Northern Rail Cup approached Mark Aston had already set out his objectives to his squad.

The Eagles had drawn Halifax and York at home, and Featherstone and Oldham away. The early rounds of the NRC competition fell foul of the weather. The Eagles were initially scheduled to kick off their season with a home tie against favourites Halifax on January 31st. So, their first game was at Featherstone Rovers in early February.

With new signing Misi Taulapapa watching from the side lines, the Eagles were soon down 8-0 after 15 minutes. But the visitors steadied and started to control possession. Forwards Jack Howieson and Ged Corcoran with Alex Szostak battling away Brendon Lindsay made good use of the ball as Rovers' momentum was slowed. Their lead was cut in half as Craig Cook from acting half-back passed out to prop Mitch Stringer who barged over under the posts to pull a try back. A forward pass denied Lindsay a try after good breaks by Alex Rowe and Szostak. Aaron Groom had come off the bench and when the Fijian's chip kick bounced off Featherstone boot Rowe took the ball one handed for a try between the posts. Jonny Woodcock added both conversions and the Eagles were ahead. Woodcock attempted to increase the lead with a penalty but was off target. The Eagles led at the interval 12-8.

The opening 20 minutes after the break were a repeat of the first half as Rovers dominated possession with a couple of tries but only landing one conversion but the lead was a narrow 18-12. Groom nearly wiped that out as he tried to twist and turn out of tackles near the line as again the Eagles came back into the game. Hopes of regaining the lead looked to have been hit as second rower Sam Barlow was sent to the sin bin for dissent. Rovers tried to make the extra man advantage pay but the Eagles forwards held firm with some gritty defence. The Eagles were completing their sets, dominating possession and looked the side in control. Szostak produced a 30-metre power break, and Stringer was held up as he struggled to get the ball down for try. Barlow came back on, but time was running out and Rovers still held on to the six point advantage. As the game moved into the final minute the pressure told as Rovers were giving away penalties like confetti. But it gave them vital possession in front of the Rovers' posts. A first attempt to drive over was held but hooker Cook went from dummy half to twist and claw his way over the line. Woodcock wasn't to be hurried as he put over the goal and the Eagles had shared the points in a testing opening game of the season.

Next was a home fixture against York City Knights. Fullback Jonny Woodcock made the break that set up for the opening try for the Eagles as prop Mitch Stringer barged his way over the line. The Eagles doubled their lead as Woodcock made another break, this time on the left, and stand-off Dane McDonald ran on to his pass to charge over.Woodcock missed both conversions, which were to prove costly as were next to score, reducing the lead to two points. The visitors could then have gone ahead but a try attempt was ruled as off-side. Misi Taulapapa, on his debut, almost crashed his way over blasting through a couple of York tackles before being denied a try for a double movement. Centre Tangi Ropati came close to increasing the lead just before half-time, but the Eagles went in 8-6 ahead.

The Eagles started the second half looking strong as they pinned York in their 20-metre zone. A penalty for a high tackle set up great position before Lindsay broke to the right and put out a long pass for centre Tangi Ropati to dive in by the flag. But Sheffield were reduced to 12 men on 48 minutes when, after a drive near the York line, prop Alex Rowe was shown a red card for leading with his elbow. That acted as a catalyst. York had no answer as the Eagles scored five tries after the red card incident. They couldn’t take advantage and it was the Eagles who cashed in with two ‘gift’ tries from the Knights. Back rower Joe Hirst tried his luck from dummy half and was allowed to burst in for a try. Craig Cook put out a long pass across the front of the posts from acting half-back and Stringer was allowed to twist over for the touchdown. Woodcock’s goal famine ended as he added the conversion. The Eagles were on a roll as Lindsays’ chip to the in goal was dropped on by Cook and Woodcock added the goal. Stringer completed his hat-trick of tries bursting on to a short pass close in and after Taulapapa had make a strong break Cook nipped in for his second try. Woodcock added both goals. York had to settle for a late consolation try. The 40-10 victory set Sheffield up for their next fixture, the rearranged home clash against Halifax three days later.

A slippery pitch made sweeping attacking rugby difficult, so the Eagles did the simple things right and most importantly defended well. The kick-off was put back for 20 minutes after tailbacks on the M1 following a crash delayed the Halifax team coach. The Eagles had to battle back after going a try down early in the game. Halifax’s intercepted a kick from Brendon Lindsay to claim a converted try. Halifax kept up the pressure targeting winger Misi Taulapapa but found the Samoan in uncompromising mood. Lindsay put in some testing kicks and his chip into the in goal area gave centre Tangi Ropati chance to use his power and speed to dive in for the try. Woodcock added the goal. The gamedeciding move came two minutes from half-time after a penalty gave the Eagles chance to move into the visitors 20-metre zone. Lindsay timed his pass perfectly for prop forward Jack Howieson to power his way over the line carrying two tacklers with him. Woodcock added the extras for the Eagles to lead 12-6 at halftime.

After the break the Eagles had to withstand a battering from Halifax. The Eagles closed the gaps and the defensive line held with Halifax’s frustration pushing up their error and penalty count. Woodcock’s penalty attempt was wide but two minutes from time hooker Craig Cook kicked a drop goal to extend the margin beyond a single score and end Halifax’s hopes, 13-6. Cup favourites Halifax lost their first game and conceded their first points in the competition. The Eagles booked their place in the Northern Rail Cup knockout stages with this gritty defensive performance, but they had one more game in the group stages.

This was an away visit to play Oldham. The match had been moved from their own ground due to problems with the pitch and moved to that of Swinton’s. With Menzie Yere in the team for the first time in the season whilst Richie Barnett on his return after a two-year ban looked to still have blistering pace but was starved of quality ball. With forwards Jack Howieson, Joe Hirst, Ged Corcoran and backs Misi Taulapapa, Tangi Ropati left on the sidelines, as the team faced its third game in seven days, the unusual line up showed in the early stages. The inexperienced pairing of John Coleman and Tim Bergin on the right were caught out of position and forced into poor decisions as Oldham raced into a 10-0 lead, but the two battled through a difficult spell. With forwards Alex Rowe and Sam Barlow coming off the bench the Eagles hit back. Even a yellow card for Alex Szostak for a late tackle on an Oldham player as he kicked for position failed to stop the revival.

Rowe’s quick thinking and break split the Oldham line and set up the first try for Barlow then Craig Cook’s pass sent in Coleman with the centre adding the goals and the Eagles were 12-10 up at half-time. The Eagles concentration slipped after the restart and Oldham took back the lead with two tries and conversions, 22-12 Trevor Exton and Rowe produced good drives before Peter Green claimed the comeback try. Barlow was put on report by the referee for a high tackle on 51 minutes, but the Eagles were on a roll. Cook’s breaks were causing Oldham problems and after Dane McDonald started the move the hookers pass from acting half-back sent Barlow in under the posts and a goal from Coleman levelled the scores. With the score tied at 22 each, Sheffield were awarded a penalty 35 metres out, five minutes from time. Coleman slotted it between the posts to secure the three points, 24-22. That kept the Eagles unbeaten record in the Northern Rail Cup safe with three wins and a draw.

Before the Quarter Final Round of the NRC, the Eagles had a Third round tie in the Challenge Cup against amateurs Thatto Heath Crusaders on the 14th March. Alex Rowe missed the game as he had been assaulted in the street by muggers. The St Helens based club soon discovered the problem they faced as after an early break into the Eagles half they faced a battering from the home forwards. Ryan Hepworth and Mitch Stringer and the deceptively fast breaking Sam Barlow launched into the visitors. Backing them up was centre Menzie Yere and Tangi Ropati and it was soon sapping the strength of the amateurs. Brendon Lindsay started the move that saw the Eagles open the scoring and Barlow blasted a gap in the Thatto defence before passing to Stringer who touched down under the posts. Stringer added the goal. The score was doubled intwo minutes when hooker Craig Cook went over from dummy half after a break by Matty Brooks. Stringer added the goal. Yere finally got clear and raced down the touchline before cutting inside for a try. Ropati took over the kicking and added the goal. Thatto were putting in some passing moves and switching play across the field, but they came up against strong Eagles defence that halted most moves on the 20-metre line forcing their stand-off to launch hopeful high kicks. Loose forward Peter Green rounded off the half by spotting a gap in the Thatto line and racing in from 25 metres for a try with Ropati adding the goal for a 24-0 lead.

After the restart, the visitors enjoyed their best spell. The Eagles had to work for their tries with back rower Joe Hirst taking a pass from Dane McDonald on the burst for their first points of the half. Hooker Cook claimed his second touchdown from acting half-back and winger Misi Taulapapa scored his first try for the club from Ropati’s pass. Stringer converted Cook’s try. Thatto were then held on the line before Sheffield went into overdrive as they exploited a rapidly tiring Thatto team. Yere burst through the line before sending Lindsay for the try.

Next Cook, Lindsay and Ropati produced a sweeping passing move for Taulapapa to blast over for his second try. Stringer added both goals to bring up the 50 points. In the final minutes Lindsay sent Brooks weaving past a couple of tacklers for the final try. A victory for the Eagles 54-0 and a trip to the next round.

Their Fourth round opponents were Wigan Warriors at home. In front of a crowd of 2,950, including members of the successful 1998 Cup winning squad, the match took place on the April 17th at Bramall Lane. The Eagles put on a battling performance as they matched Super League leaders Wigan Warriors for much of their Challenge Cup clash. Wigan hit the Eagles in the first play touching down with an unconverted try. It was a test of nerve for the Eagles, and they came through with Brendon Lindsay's inside pass sending center Menzie Yere darting in for the try. Mitch Stringer added the goal, and the Eagles were ahead. The Eagles went further ahead when Lindsay and Yere sent in winger Richie

Barnett at the corner. Stringer failed with the conversion. Wigan drew level and Sheffield were under pressure, a Wigan attacker held on the line. The killer blows came in the final minutes of the half as Wigan scored twice in as many minutes to lead at the interval.26-10.

Early in the second half two bursts of pure skill brought two tries and put Wigan into the next round. But the Eagles weren’t finished with the help of a Craig Cook pass Barnett raced 60 metres for his second try. Stringer added the goal. Within a minute he nearly added another. Wigan scored again and their next score brought up the 50 points for Wigan, but the Eagles were running the show now. Jack Howieson spun out of a tackle and off-loaded to Alex Rowe who brushed through three Wigan players for the try. Stringer added the two. Lindsay and Yere did the build-up and sent Barnett striding majestically from the wing to under the posts for a 70-metre try. Stringer added the goal. In the final minutes Eagles Sam Barlow got himself on report for upending a Wigan player. With the hooter about to sound Lindsay took on Wigan on his own with a chip kick and a dive through a crowd of bodies to touch down. Stringer added the two points. A defeat for the Eagles, 50-34 but they came away with their heads held high. Wigan progressed to the Quarter Finals of the Cup when they were knocked out by the losing finalists, Leeds Rhinos. The game did prove a financial windfall as the RFL had decided that Wigan, or any Super League season ticket holders to get free access to Challenge Cup game which deliberately disadvantaged Championship and Division One teams.

After the match the eagles found out that both Mitch Stringer and Sam Barlow were to go before the RFL Disciplinary Committee to answer for incidents during the game. Both got two match bans which Mark Aston described as a joke. The Eagles NRC quarter final was held on June 6th at Batley Bulldogs. Both sides found ball handling difficult in the early stages as a late downpour had made it particularly to hold on to. Sheffield were the first to score. Aaron Groom opened the way in the 7th minute for loose forward Dane McDonald to stride over the opening, but Brendan Lindsay could not add the extras. Batley soon responded to take the lead 6-4. Batley were then on top, dictating play and by the interval had taken a comfortable 24-4 lead.

On the resumption it looked as though Batley would continue to dominate. But the Eagles forward pack through Trevor Exton, Alex Rowe and Sam Barlow started to dominate the exchanges with powerful bursts, slick handling, and strong support play. Menzie Yere bamboozled the Batley defence in a 30-metre burst stopped short of the line. But the pressure paid off as Craig Cook raced over for a try, Lindsay adding the 2. Within minutes the Eagles were celebrating again. From a scrum the ball was moved with speed from Lindsay to Yere and then to Danny Mills to touchdown. A relieving penalty. However, enabled the home side to increase their lead and within the dying minutes they were able to bundle over Richie Barnett in touch when it looked as though he was going to touchdown. An under-par Eagles went out of the Cup, 26-16, whilst the Bulldogs pressed forward to become eventual winners of the competition.

The Eagles had decided that they needed to keep the momentum running as, since their promotion to the Championship in 2008, they had progressed from just outside the play-off places to secure third place in 2009. They had failed to secure the top spot by two points.

Out of the first eight games in that year they had won only three, whilst in the second half of the season they had secured nine victories from twelve games. With what Mark Aston believed was the strongest squad that the Eagles had in ten years, they intended to advance further.

That advance could only be achieved by turning losing bonus points into three point wins. All the games they lost in 2009 secured a bonus point as the margin of defeat was within 12 points.

Leigh had been relegated at the end of the 2009 season, as Toulouse had been given a two year exemption when they joined the Championship. They had bee replaced however by Gateshead who had been facing serious financial issues and had asked to restart back in Division One. So, Leigh were reprieved and took their place in the 2009 Championship. Doncaster had also been relegated. Both Dewsbury and Keighley had been promoted to the Championship.

Sheffield’s opening fixture of the season was an away trip to Halifax. On a heavily sanded pitch the Eagles were set up for a big tough battle with an all forwards bench, and they got it in the opening minutes as Halifax battered the line. A tackle from Ashley Thackery just halted a Halifax burst, but the Sheffield defence was strong, and they gradually came into the game with Brendon Lindsey given space to put in a series of kicks. But Halifax were causing problems for themselves by giving away penalties which kept bringing Sheffield back into their half. A penalty in front of the posts gave prop forward Jack Howieson the chance to produce a big drive and from acting half-back hooker Craig Cook squeezed his way over for the opening try. Mitch Stringer added the goal. The Eagles doubled their lead within three minutes as Thackeray made a 40-metre break then followed up a chip by Lindsay to touchdown. Stringer added the goal. Halifax needed a score but were being let down by poor handling until ten minutes before half-time when an intercepted pass and a 60 metre dash to touchdown under the posts. They scored another just before the break to level the tie at 12 points each.

Sheffield made the perfect start to the second half after a penalty put them into the Halifax 20-metre zone. Sam Barlow put in a couple of drives before Lindsay passed to Trevor Exton whose behind-his-back flip pass sent Menzie Yere through for the try. Tangi Ropati added the goal. Then they were awarded a penalty in front of the posts to go 20-12 ahead. Yere claimed his second try as he bounced off two tacklers following a passing move by Lindsay and McDonald. Stringer added the goal. But the Eagles were not controlling the ball and it went wrong as Halifax blasted back with two tries in two minutes, to bring them within two points. James Haley was denied a try by a forward pass and with ten minutes left Halifax were reduced to 12 men with a sin binning for retaliating and throwing a punch after a tackle by Ged Corcoran. Halifax were awarded the penalty though and the kick put the scores level at 26-26. 

Confusion reigned briefly as the referee stopped the game at one point after a touch judge came on the field seemingly to claim that Halifax had an extra man. A swift head count using all the refs fingers (and couple of the touch judges) and the game resumed. Handling errors kept Halifax in the Eagles half and with five minutes to go they went over near the posts from acting half-back to claim the points, 32-26. For the Eagles there was only a losing bonus point.

Sheffield’s first home tie was against Widnes Vikings on March 14th. The Eagles paid the price for a slow start to the match when the Widnes fullback made a 70 metre run only to be chased down and tackled by Tangi Ropati who subsequently received a yellow card for holding on in the tackle. Widnes made their man advantage count and started to off-load in the tackle which created space for a touchdown and the lead. The Eagles retaliated soon after when l Mitch Stringer tapped from a penalty and powered through three tackles to score under the post. He added to his try by kicking the conversion and tied the score. After some sloppy Eagles defence, which was a recurring theme throughout the game, Widnes retook the lead. The home side hit back straight away with a clever work from hooker Craig Cook who attacked down the blindside, switched the ball back in play to Joe Hirst, who then passed inside for Tangi Ropati to dive over for his first of the game. Brendon Lindsay levelled the score 12-12. After some good attacking play from Lindsay, including a 40-20 kick, Sheffield were awarded a penalty which gave a 14-12 lead. But Widnes were the last to score a try in the half, taking an 18-14 lead into the interval.

On the resumption resurgent Eagles come out fighting with two early tries courtesy of Menzie Yere and a great solo try from hooker Craig Cook. Yere was certain to score yet another try, when the referee pulled him back for a high tackle on Sam Barlow that left the Sheffield player unconscious in front of the player. Rather than send the Widnes player off he put the incident on report. Instead of awarding what was an 8 point try, after Barlow was carried off the pitch, he awarded a penalty. Stringer added the two points to give the Eagles a 26 - 18 lead. Widnes hit back with four unanswered tries During the Widnes onslaught tempers flared between the two sides which saw both teams reduced to 12 men with Eagles Misi Taulapapa and a Widnes player seeing yellows for their part in a mass brawl. Widnes added two points from the resulting penalty making the score 26 - 44. Almost on the hooter Tangi Ropati burst over the line to score his second try of the match and make the final score 30 - 44.

The Eagles Board complained about the referee after the game to the RFL. In the resultant disciplinary hearing, the Widnes player was given a four match ban which mark Aston described as a disgrace, advocating that the nature of the assault warranted at least ten game ban.

Next at Don Valley were Dewsbury Rams. Torrential rain made handling difficult, but the Eagles showed grim determination to record their first win. Fullback Jonny Woodcock and prop Michael Haley returned to the team and there was a debut from back rower Mike Burnett on loan from Hull FC.

Dewsbury took the lead , but soon after Mitch Stringer took Craig Cook’s pass from dummy half to twist over the line near the posts and his goal put the scores level. Sheffield edged ahead when Dane McDonald’s pass sent in Ropati for his first try. However, the Rams soon levelled the scores at 10 apiece, before a Ropati penalty gave the home side a slender 2 point lead.

Dewsbury were down to 12 men soon after the restart due to a sin binning. The Eagles took advantage with Dane McDonald going in from dummy half for a try. Going into the last 20 minutes a flare up resulted in Eagles Misi Taulapapa and a Rams player going to the sin bin. After denying another score from the visitors, seven minutes from time Cook’s pass from dummy half found substitute Matty Brooks who sent in Ropati for the try with Stringer adding the goal which brought up his 200 points for the club. A 22-10 win gave the home side their first three pointer.

Sheffield travelled to Keighley Cougars for their Good Friday game at the start of April. Heavy rain before the kick-off turned large areas of the Cougar Park pitch into a quagmire and the second half the Eagles got lost in the mud. Sheffield made a great start forcing Keighley into a series of desperate tackles on their line before stand-off Brendon Lindsay side-stepped and then provided a short pass for Alex Szostak to claim the first try. At the other end strong controlled defence held out Keighley before the home side pulled two points back with a penalty. Later a move involving Craig Cook and Matty Brooks almost increased the lead but couldn’t get the ball down as the Cougars’ luck held. But four minutes before the break Sam Barlow blasted in under the posts, .Lindsay adding the goal for a 10-2 lead at half-time.

Keighley increasingly dominated the action in the second half with Szostak and Peter Green putting in big tackles before Keighley forced their way into the lead with two converted tries. 14-10. With 10 minutes left the Eagles needed a big response and got it when Menzie Yere kicked on a loose ball and Cook followed up to touch down. Stringer added the goal to take back the lead. But the win slipped away in the final minute as a harsh high tackle decision gave the Cougars an easy penalty shot from in front of the posts, resulting in a draw. 

Easter Monday had the Eagles playing at Barrow Raiders. In a game that saw the home side run in nine tries, the visitors were never really in the game. An early try for Barrow, created a response from the visitors. Mitch Stringer burst on to dummy half Craig Cook's pass to force his way over, but he couldn't add the goal. Barrow's forwards dominated possession and by the interval they were 28-4 ahead. The second half was nut much better as they scored a further 22 unanswered points. Brendon Lindsay came closest to scoring for the Eagles. but he was held up short of the line late in the game. The 50-4 defeat left Sheffield in 7th spot.

Johnny Woodcock had limped off early in the game because of a freak injury which damaged his right knee. He would not play for the rest of the season.

The next two league games brought two further defeats, leaving the Eagles hovering above the relegation places at the end of April in 9th. The first was against Featherstone Rovers, in their initial outing at Bramall Lane. A crowd of 2,871, more than three times the Eagles attendances at Don Valley for 2010. The Eagles were determined to put on a show with a pre-match display on the pitch by more than 60 girls from the local Stepping Out dancing school.

The start of the game matched the build-up, as Sheffield started well but Rovers soaked up the early pressure and took the lead, 6-0. Featherstone were showing the form that had kept them unbeaten so far in 2010, passing well out of the tackles and setting up a couple of sweeping passing moves that had the Eagles on the backfoot. Sheffield came back with a period of pressure with a penalty getting them a second set of six before Craig Cook, Joe Hirst, and Brendon Lindsay sent Misis Taulapapa crashing over for the try. Lindsay added the goal. Rovers soon restored their lead with an unconverted try.

The home side were hit by two killer blows either side of half-time. Featherstone scored under the posts just before the break and six minutes into the second half they were awarded a penalty try after the ball was ripped out as a Rovers player tried to touchdown. Featherstone were ahead, 22-6. That became quickly 28-6, before Cook pulled back at try for the Eagles after good work by

Jack Howieson and Mitch Stringer. Further tries followed for the visitors, whilst Brendon Lindsay and Richie Barnett sent in Dane McDonald for an unconverted consolation try. Yet another home defeat for the Eagles, 16-40.

The end of April, Sheffield were at Leigh Centurions. The result was their fifth defeat in seven Championship games, even though Leigh played for 47 minutes with only 12 men. The result was further soured as captain Jack Howieson came off after 13 minutes with an arm injury and take no further part in the game.

Eagles had started the game well though with strong defence and in their first attack intothe Centurions half they were in the lead. Tangi Ropati and Misi Taulapapa made the first break before Craig Cook started a passing move, that took in Trevor Exton and Menzie Yere, before winger Richie Barnett dived in at the corner. Poor defence by the visitors soon had them on the back foot as they fell 18-6 behind. Mark Aston sent on Aaron Groom for hooker Cook, the Fijian’s first game action for nearly three months. There was no immediate lift as Leigh increased their lead. But the home side were reduced to 12 men when a Leigh player was shown a red card seven minutes from the break for a high tackle on Sam Barlow.

Sheffield made the extra man pay as Brendon Lindsay put in a perfectly timed kick to the corner for Ashley Thackeray to jump high and palm the ball down to Ropati who touched down to narrow the score to 24-10 at half-time. Groom gave the Eagles the perfect start to the second half with a interception try that saw him race 90 metres to score under the posts Stringer added the goal. The visitors needed another quick score and got it as Groom was involved in a move that sent Exton crashing in for a try. Barnett had a try disallowed in the corner for obstruction, but the Eagles seemed to lose momentum as the game went on. Going into the final quarter the game was still in the balance, but Sheffield couldn’t find the way through gritty Centurions defending and Leigh extended their lead with a converted try. They then found an extra gear and went further ahead. The Eagles faded badly in the final ten minutes and were denied even the consolation of a losing bonus point. The 36-20 defeat left Sheffield in the bottom three.

In the Eagles next appearance at Bramall Lane on the Mayday Bank Holiday they played Whitehaven. This was Danny Mills first game for nine months after an injury he sustained at the end of the previous season. Sheffield got off to a good start with Trevor Exton and Brendon Lindsay sending Menzie Yere crashing for a try. The game was then held up for eight minutes after Haven forward was knocked unconscious tackling Taulapapa and was taken to hospital for checks on a possible neck injury. Alex Szostak came close twice before he crossed the whitewash, but Whitehaven came back with two converted tries to take the lead. The Eagles took a 14-12 lead just before the break with a Matty Brooks try and Tangi Ropati’s first conversion from three attempts.

Haven were ahead again just after the break, then the home side blasted back with two tries from Rowe in as many minutes, the second a 30 metre power break. Whitehaven narrowed the lead but from then on it was all Eagles as Ropati scored two tries either side of a touchdown by Groom. Ropati brought his goal tally to four from seven attempts before handing over the goal kicking to Lindsay whose break had set up the centre’s second try. The tries kept coming with Rowe completing his hat-trick, hooker Craig Cook cheekily twisting over by the posts from dummy half to bring up the 50 points. In the final couple of minutes winger Ashley Thackeray touched down Lindsay’s chip to the corner and Cook finished off a break by Hepworth for his second try with Lindsay kicking his fourth goal from five. Back to winning ways, the 64-24 victory lifted Sheffield to just outside the play-off places.

After the victory the club were advised that an earlier season injury to captain Jack Howieson would rule him out for the rest of the season.

Batley Bulldogs were the next visitors. They stunned the Eagles by taking an took an early 6-0 lead The Batley half backs were controlling the game, with their forwards battering the defensive line. Eventually Sheffield succumbed to go a further 6 points behind. The Eagles were struggling to get out of their half and lacked the power and kicking game they had shown in the big win over Whitehaven. Half-time saw Batley go in with a 12-0 lead. At half-time Mark Aston read the riot act and Sheffield were a different team from the restart taking the game to Batley with some good passing moves.

A 60 metre break from Alex Rowe set up the move that led to the Eagles first try. Rowe was held near the posts, but the ball was put out wide and Tangi Ropati off-loaded to winger Ashley Thackeray who went in at the corner. Brendon Lindsay added the goal. Soon after Thackeray had to go off with a knee injury. Sheffield narrowed the gap to two points following a break from his own half by Menzie Yere which led to Lindsay and the centre sending Danny Mills in near the flag. Lindsay's kick hit the upright. With five minutes to go the next score was vital. Rowe came off the bench and produced a perfectly timed run to blast over for a try near the posts. Ropati added the goal, and the Eagles were ahead for the first time in the game. With two minutes left Rowe hen sealed the win with a burst that took him over under the posts and Ropati added the extras. A 22-12 victory that consolidated Sheffield’s hold on 7th position.

Yet another home game with Toulouse Olympique as the visitors brought another 5 points to the Eagles. Sheffield were soon in front. On the back of a 40-20 from Aaron Groom, they opened the scoring with a try from centre Tangi Ropati. Mitch Stringer, returning after a two-match ban after the Challenge Cup defeat, added the goal. But the scores were soon level. Menzie Yere’s power runs were troubling Toulouse and a break by Brendon Lindsay sent in Groom for the try with Stringer adding the two. Alex Szostak’s 40-metre run set up the position for Lindsay to put winger Richie Barnett in near the flag. Indecision and errors crept into the Eagles play as Toulouse dominated the final 20 minutes of the half with Yere put on report for a tackle. The visitors were the last on the scoresheet before half time, but went in behind, 16-12.

Olympique edged ahead soon after the restart, but Alex Rowe made it six tries in three games and Lindsay added the goal to restore the Eagles lead. The home side held the advantage for the rest of the game but not without a few scares in a frantic last 20 minutes. Irish international winger Tim Bergin almost scored a try on his Championship debut before, from the next play Craig Cook went over from dummy half. Toulouse narrowed the gap to two points. Almost immediately Cook went in from dummy half after Matty Brooks, was held near the line. The hooker finally eased the Eagles nerves with another try. The Eagles win, 38 24, moved them into the play-offs replacing Toulouse.

Dewsbury Rams were the next opponents. This was a close away game, but the visitors continued their winning run. In the first 20 minutes stand-off Brendon Lindsay and his half-back partner Aaron Groom were moving the ball out fast with forward Trevor Exton and centre Menzie Yere putting in blasting runs. Exton and Yere made the opening to send Richie Barnett in, but the winger was body-checked and from the tap penalty hooker Craig Cook squeezed his way over for the opening try. The Eagles were making the running with a 40-20 kick giving them possession and after a weaving run by Barnett set up the position for Michael Haley to soften up the Rams defensive line with a power run before Stringer finished the job blasting over the line. He then added the goal.

Dewsbury then came back for an unconverted try. Sheffield responded with a passing move between Matty Brooks and Lindsay that was finished with Dane McDonald bursting on to Groom’s pass for the try. Lindsay couldn’t add the goal. Only a great chase and covering tackled by Lindsay prevented a Rams try from an interception, but on their next arrack, the Rams narrowed the gap to four points, the sides going in at the interval with Sheffield ahead 14-10. Dewsbury kept the pressure up with a try soon after the break to take a two point lead. It needed a quick response, and the Eagles got it as prop forward Haley used brute force in a great ball carry that took him close to the Rams posts. It was just right for Cook who dropped over from dummy half for a try, with Stringer adding the two. For most of the rest of the half Dewsbury laid siege to the Eagles line. The pressure had to tell, and the Rams levelled the score with an unconverted try, 20 points each. With only four minutes left it seemed a drop goal would settle the points but after Cook’s attempt was charged down by the Rams fullback who knocked on then kicked the ball away in frustration. The referee awarded a penalty and Stringer coolly slotted it over., for a 22-20 victory.

The Eagles winning run came to an end in their next home tie against Keighley Cougars. Keighley took an early lead with a penalty, but the Eagles came back with a try from loose forward Joe Hirst from a Trevor Exton’s pass. The Eagles doubled their lead as Menzie Yere used pure strength to get the touchdown. Stringer was unable to add either conversion with touchline kicks. The Cougars hit back, and a chip kick bounced off an Eagles player and the scrumhalf gratefully caught the ball and went over for the try before adding the goal. They then took the lead with a converted try and further extended their lead when a fumble by an Eagles player following a scrum in front of their posts saw A Keighley player nipping in to pick up the ball and claim another converted try. for the Cougars to lead 20-8 at half-time.

The second half was a totally different story as the Eagles came back with three tries in a six-minute spell with Michael Haley, the game’s outstanding forward, leading the charge. Exton got the first score of the half following a Haley break. Matty Brooks set up the next for Sam Barlow with Stringer kicking a goal, his only conversion of the night. An Exton break followed by an overhead inside pass from Danny Mills gave Brendon Lindsay a touchdown and the stand-off added the goal to put the Eagles ahead 24-20. Keighley levelled with two penalties either side of Missi Taulapapa being denied a try for a double movement. It was down to drop goals and Matty Brooks missed one for the Eagles and then Keighley reciprocated until in the final 30 seconds when they managed to put over a kick to claim the win. 21-20. The losing bonus point moved Sheffield into fifth in the league.

Craig Cook was announced as the Championship Player of the Month for May by Rugby League World.

After being eliminated from the NRC, the next fixture for the Eagles was a trip to Whitehaven. There was no repeat of the thrashing that Sheffield had handed out in the home fixture. The game started with the release of 12 doves by the widow of Ross Purdham, a former Haven player, who had been tragically killed in the West Cumbria shootings that had taken place weeks earlier.

In his memory both teams put on an entertaining game with effort and commitment on show. On the half hour Whitehaven took the lead before Sheffield responded. With Haven down to 12 men due to a sin binning for deliberately slowing down play, Peter Green forced himself over to level the tie, 4 points each, before Brendan Lindsay’s chipped over the Haven defence, then regathered it and passed to Menzie Yere, whose bullocking run took him over to give the visitors an 8-4 lead. On 56 minutes, Whitehaven took the lead. The lead then see-sawed Yere got a second on 64 minutes following great work from Trevor Exton and Misi Taulapapa, to establish an Eagles lead, before the home side retook the lead once more. In the last seven minutes Craig Cook scored from dummy half and with the Eagles first conversion of the game, they took the lead again, 14-18. The game was then wrapped up with a minute to go as Lindsay latched onto his own kick forward to score as the hooter sounded. Tim Bergin added the extras and Sheffield had the three match points, 24-14.

The other June game was a home tie against Barrow Raiders. The match was not a repeat of the one sided affair earlier in the season. The Sheffield pack was strong with Ryan Hepworth and Mike Burnett, on loan from Hull, putting in big sets. The game was live on TV was at Don Valley and viewers saw the home side score first as Mitch Stringer score from close in with Tim Bergin scoring the extras. With Bergin taking a further penalty, Sheffield were ahead 8-0. But Barrow were awarded a try midway through the half by the video referee, followed up by a further converted try, the visitors were ahead. The lead was then stretched to 14-8, before the Eagles hit back in the last minute of the half as Matty Brooks made a 30 metre break before sending in Misi Taulapapa to score. With Bergin’s conversion, the match was tied 14 all. 

Barrow were back ahead soon after the restart, but the home side came back with the best passing move of the match. With Menzie Yere pulling the defenders to him before Brendan Lindsay passed to Taulapapa, whose try was again converted by Bergin to again level the tie. The event that swung the game towards Barrow was the decision of the video referee to rule out two tries made by Sheffield within minutes of each other. Barrow then went on to score three tries in ten minutes to take a 36-20 lead. But the Eagles salvaged a bonus point on the hooter as Trevor Exton took a short pass from Craig Cook for a consolation try, which again Bergin converted. The 36-26 defeat led to Mark Aston commenting that:

Off the field the Cub announced the appointment of two community coaches to boost the Eagles work in schools and local clubs, Katie Butler, and Andy Russell. Butler was the club’s first female coach and was and England under 21s and Yorkshire player. Her focus was to be on marketing the game to girls and women and re-establish a women’s team in Sheffield.

July started with a trip to Batley Bulldogs. Aaron Groom had advised the club that he would not be available to play in the game. Both sides match play was regularly disrupted by interference by the referee, whose performance led to significant criticism from both coaches. Playing down the Mount Pleasant slope, the runs of Mitch Stringer, Craig Cook and Alex Szostack put Batley under pressure, who had to drop out twice from under the own posts. Sheffield then scored from a Cook pass that sent Ryan Hepworth through for a try, converted by Tim Bergin. After a Batley score had been ruled out, Misi Taulapapa linked up with a swift attack to race over the line to give the visitors a 12-0 Lead. Then on half-time, following a penalty, the Eagles launched another attack and even though it looked as though they had lost the ball, Matty Brooks was allowed to pick it up and score. With Bergin’s conversion, Sheffield were 18-0 in front.

The second half saw Batley on the offensive, but it wasn’t until 15 minutes into the half before they scored. Straight after that, Menzie Yere was sent off for a throw in a tackle,and then Mitch Stringer limped off. The visitors were under a lot of pressure and eventually succumbed as he Bulldogs reduced the gap to 6 points. But then the ball was knocked on and the Eagles regained possession, two subsequent penalties for holding down put the visitors in a front of the Barley posts, with Bergin then slotting the penalty to give Sheffield a 20-12 victory.

Next up was a trip to France to play Toulouse Olympique. The club signed half back Simon Brown from Doncaster who joined the squad who were travelling to France. In very hot conditions, the Eagles maintained their unbeaten run against the French side. Up until the half hour the two sides had been level pegging. Toulouse scored first, for that be cancelled out by debutant Simon Brown. Sheffield gained the lead through Matty Brooks, but the French side levelled the scores on the half hour. Two minutes to the interval, Tangi Ropati scored, and with Bergin’s third successive conversion, the Eagles ended the half 18-12 ahead.

After the break the visitors soared ahead with Bergin picking up a brace. The first arose from a failure by Toulouse to clear up a grubber kick to the line and the second from a Ropati break and pass. Alex Szostack then crossed fr another six pointer. The Eagles had pulled away to secure a 22 point lead with ten minutes left. Toulouse managed two consolation tries but again Sheffield claimed the points, 34-24.

When the Eagles became aware that Barrow were releasing their hooker, Andrew Henderson they immediately swooped in the sign him for the rest of the season. With the signing of Simon Brown, the club agreed to Kyle Kesick joining Doncaster on a permanent basis following his loan move to them. The club also released Sam Barlow to join his home club, Halifax, whilst Jo Coleman had trials with the Rugby Union side Plymouth Albion. The club also cancelled the contract of Aaron Groom. Rather than play a game he had decided to go on holiday and therefore was in breach of his contract.

The following weekend the Eagles were in the Northern Rail 9’s. For the second year running they got to the final. In the Group Stage, they beat Oldham 40-0; Featherstone Rovers 26-12; and Barrow Raiders 38-10. In the semi Final they met Keighley Cougars. They went behind to two early tries but pulled through 20-14 to win. In the final they played Halifax. After taking an early lead, scored by Misi Taulapapa, but handicapped by injuries to key players they slipped behind and lost 16-4. The squad included:

• Misi Taulapapa 2T 3G
• Tangi Ropati 4T
• Jason Mossop
• Joe Hirst 3T
• Jimmie Cottle 1T
• Tim Bergin 1T 1G
• Danny Mills
• Mitch Stringer 1T
• Alex Szostak 2T 1G
• Paddy Barcoe
• Menzie Yere 4T 1G
• Simon Brown 8G
• Andrew Henderson 1T
• Eddie Battye
• Corey Hanson IT 1G

As August approached the Eagles had four league games left. They were in the playoffs in 5th place. Commenting on the run-in to the playoffs , Mark Aston said:

The first of the games was at top of the table Featherstone Rovers. The Eagles were down to the last 18 fit players. They were in control in the first half through their sharp handling. They were eight points up within the first 20 minutes – an unconverted Menzie Yere try set up by Mitch Stringer; then a roller coaster move across the pitch involving Craig Cook, Simon Brown, Brendan Lindsay, and Misi Taulapapa provided his second on the left. After the half hour Featherstone reduced the lead to two points, before Lindsay stretched the Sheffield lead from an off load from Alex Rowe and quick hands from Michael Haley, with Tim Bergin converting. Rovers pulled back the lead to two points in the dying minutes of the half, with the visitors going in at the interval 14-12 ahead.

Any chance of the home side taking over on the restart was quashed. Tangi Ropati’s broke free down the right and Bergin on his inside, a short pass and Bergin was in under the posts and a simple conversion. Again, Rovers responded with a try, but failed to convert. Then on 33 minutes Lindsay and Taulapapa sent Yere on an 80 metre mission to score a try between the posts, Brown converting. Then a 40/20 from Brown put Sheffield in a commanding position. He then fired a pass to Ropati from the scrum and The Eagles had another 6 points on the board, leading 32-20. Rovers tried to fightback with two tries, but they failed to close the gap, losing 32-30 to the visitors. With other results going their way the Eagles retained fifth position. During the game, Corey Hanson made a strong debut in the tension filled win.

Next was a home tie against Halifax. Sam Barlow was not in the Halifax squad for the game as he was prevented by an agreement which had allowed him to sign for Halifax from the Eagles.

Sheffield made a confident start scoring a try on their first attack. A Simon Brown 40/20 led to a scrum and a quick pass to Menzie Yere who scored a try, but Tim Bergin’s kick went wide. Sloppy handling by both sides wasted good position but on 15 minutes Halifax had scored to level the scores. On their next attack, Craig Cook put Yere through for the Eagles to retain the lead 8-4. But after some astute substitutions, Halifax wee on a roll and were soon moving ahead reaching a 16-8 lead at the break. Sloppy play continued after the break but ten minutes into the half, Brendan Lindsay’s chip kick was pushed into the path of Peter Green to reduce the gap to two points with Simon Brown’s conversion. But three tries in ten minutes gave the tie to Halifax. Sheffield chased the bonus point through two tries from Tangi Ropati, but it wasn’t enough as Sheffield lost the fixture 24-38, with Halifax claiming the double over the Eagles.

Sheffield were still hanging on to fifth place, but with the visit to Widnes Vikings the next game, their hold was eliminated as the home side leap-frogged the Eagles to take it. In a game that saw Jack Howieson on the bench after 5 months out with knee injuries., Widnes dominated the first half, camped in the visitors half. They scored two converted tries to Sheffield’s single effort, created by Tim Bergin to lead 12-4 at the interval. The Viking’s dominance continued after the break, scoring a further three tries to one converted try from Misi Taulapapa. The 30-10 defeat had the Eagles now in sixth spot and a must win game at home to Leigh Centurions to ensure qualification for the play offs. 

Yet another TV performance produced a close game that was decided in the dying minutes by a drop goal. An emotional night saw the Eagles honour their former player Liam Brentley who had been shot in head and wounded whilst serving in Afghanistan. It was also the final home game for Brendan Lindsay who was returning to Australia after five years with the club. Heavy rain made handling difficult. Leigh scored first and kept the pressure on the home team’s defensive line. The Eagles held on and hit back with a Menzie Yere power run that sent in Misi Taulapapa to score, Simon Brown adding the extras. Lindsay put in a huge 40/20 and Ryan Hepworth had a try ruled out by the video referee before Leigh took back the lead 10-6. Brown’s kicking game was putting the Centurions on the back foot and led to the next opportunity for the home side. Brown And Tangi Ropati combined to put Tim Bergin through for an unconverted try, levelling the scores., Five minutes to half time, thewy were again on the score sheet as Taulapapa picked up a loose Leigh chip kick to race 90 metres to score, Brown adding the extras. Then on half time his angled run onto a Brown pass saw the Eagles go in at the interval 22-10 ahead.

After the break the Centurions were on the offensive and by the hour, they have levelled the scores at 22 points apiece. The pendulum then swung in Sheffield’s favour. With 13 minutes to go, Andrew Henderson combined with Taulapapa to put Craig Cook through to reestablish the home side’s lead. Desperately defending to keep Leigh out, the Eagles were looking for a field goal, and with two minutes left they got it, a Simon Brown dropped one between the posts, giving them the lead 29-22. Despite Leigh getting a try in the dying seconds, Sheffield were again the pay offs 29-28. 

September 2nd saw Sheffield in an away Elimination Playoff game against Leigh Centurions. The game started with Misi Taulapapa having to go off with a leg injury after only a few minutes and then a Leigh player was sin-binned in the 3rd minute for taking out the kicker. Immediately Sheffield were on the attack as Brendan Lindsay and Simon Brown combined to send a booming pass to Tim Bergin who scored in the corner. Brown missed the conversion and only managed to land only one conversion all night. On 10 minutes Leigh snatched the lead 6-4, but Sheffield replied with a Brown with a wide ball to Peter Green who got the ball to Joe Hirst who scored to put the visitors 2 points ahead. Leigh came back to go 4 points in front with a converted try, but again the visitors wouldn’t let the ball die with Alex Szostack and Lindsay working to get the ball to Menzie Yere who grabbed his first try, courtesy of the video referee. But Leigh had the last word of the half, scoring to create an 18-12 interval lead.

But Sheffield were not done. Errors by the home side enabled Yere to take a difficult inside pass from Tangi Ropati off his bootlaces. The Leigh defence kept out a rampant Eagles attack and brought dividends when they grounded a grubber kick to lea 24-16 after 15 minutes of the second half. They were fancied to take the tie, but they saw some good positions squandered and paid the penalty. On the hour, Szostack was tackled as he was chasing the ball to be awarded a penalty try, which Smith converted to put the visitors two points behind. Leigh then had a try ruled by the video referee, and then a Yere effort suffered the same fate. With four minutes to go Lindsay chip kicked the ball forward, the Leigh defender tried to charge down the ball, but it came to Lindsay, who got the ball out to the right, ending with Bergin who skipped over the line to secure victory 26-24. It was later revealed that Taulapapa had fractured his ankle and would not be taking part in the rest of the playoffs.

In the next game, an Elimination Semi-Final, The Eagles had to travel to Barrow Raiders, a team that had done the double already over Sheffield in the season and who weredefending their Championship title. It was yet another close game. A rainy night with poor floodlighting had an impact of the game. After having to endure a positive Eagles attack, holding up Alex Szostack on the line, Barrow took the lead with a penalty for holding down on 14 minutes. Sheffield came back strongly was held short and then Tangi Ropati. Just after the half hour, Sheffield went ahead. A stray ball saw Brendan Lindsay kick ahead and touch down with ease, and Simon Brown added the extras. The lead was restored to Barrow soon after, and Sheffield had their chances, but failed to exploit them. A penalty for the visitors for a high tackle had both sides tying at 8 points each at the break.

The game to and fro’d in the second half as both sides tried to put points on the board while the other tried to stop them. Barrow regained the lead on the hour, but they failed to convert. A penalty for offside increased that lead to six points later. From the restart Barrow fumbled the catch and the visitors were on the attack. The result was Alex Rowe crashing under the sticks with Brown adding the two. All square at 14 apiece. A Brown 40/20 added more pressure on the Barrow defence. The resultant play did not lead to any points but on the next attack, Mitch Stringer was held up short. From the resulting play the ball, Craig Cook scored the try and Brown converted with six minutes to go. On their next attack a Brown drop goal sealed the result. A Sheffield victory, 21-14. The Eagles were one step away from their first Championship Grand Final.

In their way was Halifax. Before a ball was kicked in the Final Elimination game controversy reigned. Halifax had named Sam Barlow in their starting 17 for the match. The Eagles had only agreed to him signing for Halifax when they released him from his contract if he did not play against them in any games in the 2010 season. The no play clause had been put into the agreement because of rumours that illegal approaches had been made to the player. Halifax’s position was that the veto ended after the last league table. The document had been accepted by the RFL who then reneged stating the rules did not cover such a situation. But Sheffield maintained that it did, and they would sue if Barlow played.

Halifax had already fallen foul of the RFL earlier in the season when it revealed that they had played in ineligible player in one of the Challenge Cup rounds which resulted in them being disqualified from the competition.

The game proved to be one to many for the Eagles. Sheffield made the stronger start, and it was 10 minutes before Halifax got into an attacking position. The game was deadlocked until the 23rd minute when Brendan Lindsay put a weighted chip towards the Halifax line. There players failed to collect but Danny Mills did and scored. That seemed to galvanise the home side into action who replied and then moved ahead, leading 24-6 at the interval. Soon after the second half kicked off, they were even further ahead, but a converted try from Alex Rowe reduced the deficit to 30-12. On the hour hey were 42-12 in front, the game all over but a late consolation try by Tangi Ropati in his last game for the Eagles did little to change the result. Halifax were through to their second consecutive Grand Final, 42-18, with four of those points coming from Sam Barlow. Commenting on the game Mark Aston stated:

Halifax went onto win the Grand Final by Golden Point, beating Featherstone Rovers 23-22. The Final Eliminator was the furthest that the Eagles had go to since the reformation. It set a benchmark for future Championship seasons.

After the game the Eagles Board started legal proceedings against both Halifax and Sam Barlow regarding the breach of the contractual terms relating to his move. The affair ended in an apology from the Halifax Board and compensation for the Eagles.

With a total of 17, 379 attending hone games, the Eagles average attendances rose once more from an average of 1,090 to 1,228 by 12.7% whilst the Championship average fell yet again by 7.2% to an average of 1,596. The highest number attending an Eagles fixture was 2,871 at Bramall Lane with the visit of Featherstone , the lowest, 835 was against Dewsbury at Don Valley. Even the lowest attendance at Bramall Lane was higher than the highest at the Valley.

So, had the new gameplay strategy worked for the Eagles? They had definitely hit the start of the Northern Rail Cup running, topping their Pool and progressing to the quarterfinals. In the Challenge Cup they had progressed to the Fourth Round where they had put up a strong showing against Wigan. In the Championship, they finished in sixth, rather than improving on the third spot in the previous season, attaining only 35 points to previously 42. They still lost nine games, but in most of those games by a wider margin than in 2009. Again, the first half of the season dictated their final position in the league, winning only 2 and drawing 1 in the first 10 games. In the second half they were victorious in 7 out of 10, the end of season momentum carrying them through the play offs to be defeated in the Elimination semifinal, just short of the Grand Final.

In terms of the team’s win percentage since inception, that had increased to 52% during the season. So, Ian Swire, the Chair’s target had been met. The Eagles also came third in the Frontline Fair Play Index in terms of penalties conceded and sin bins during Championship games, with only Widnes and Leifg having a marginally better record.

Rugby Development schemes in schools, colleges and local clubs went from strength to strength. The Under 18 team, Pathway and Scholarship schemes continued to unearth players with talent. Several players identified and developed through these initiatives started to appear for the first team.

The club were also involved in other initiatives within the local and wider communities. Menzie Yere started his Kits2Kids campaign to help young people in Papua New Guinea get involved in Rugby League. The campaign had the full support of the Sheffield Eagles and the wider Rugby League Community.

The club made a small profit in the year of £8, 278 compared to a loss of £29,913 in the previous year. It was the first progfit in five years, the improovement bein attributed to the partial move of home games to Bramall Lane as well as reaching the Playoff semi-finals.

• Player of the Year: Misi Taulapapa
• Supporter’s Player of the Year: Brendon Lindsay
• Players Player of the Year: Misi Taulapapa
• Coaches’ Player of the Year: Tim Bergin
• Website’s Reader Player of the Year: Alex Szostack.
• Chairman’s Champagne Moment: Misi Taulapapa. 

Brendan Lindsay joined the Sheffield Eagles Hall of Fame. In his five year stint at the club, he had played 137 games, scoring 51 tries, i5 goals and two drop goals. He made the No 6 shirt his own.

Tim Bergin was named in the All-Star Championship Team.

Jack Howieson, Mitch Stringer, Andrew Henderson, Brendan Lindsay, Alex Szostack were all named in the Scottish squad for the European Cup. Tim Bergin and Paddy Barcoe were also named in the Irish squad.