Sheffield Eagles: Trial reaching conclusion for Rhys Jacks

It is a big week for trialist Rhys Jacks as he looks to land a deal with Sheffield Eagles.
Mark AstonMark Aston
Mark Aston

Director of rugby Mark Aston has long been on a quest to boost his options in the half-back area, and sees the 25-year-old ace as potential competition to Cory Aston and Dave Hewitt.

After red tape ended any hopes of signing Aussie Beau Henry, Aston has now switched his attention to Jacks who has been inside the Eagles’ training camp for the past fortnight.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

This week appears to be crucial for Jacks with Aston set to make a call on his future before Sunday’s showdown with Batley.

“We are going to now have a really good look at him this week and see how he fits in,” Aston told The Star. “The hard thing for Rhys is that we had him down on the Wednesday before the season started, but then we were preparing hard for the game at Workington.

“We got them back in after Workington and then after rehab we look ahead and there is another game to prepare for on the Friday, so he has not had a proper week of training until now.”

Jacks is Australian-born but is a Canadian international, qualifying as his father was born in Toronto.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He made his name in Australia with Souths Logan Magpies before joining Bradford Bulls on trial in December last year.

“He certainly fits my bill with what I am looking for and I like good people,” Aston added. “He can kick, he can manage a game and he has the experience of playing in 70 or 80 Queensland Cup games. You don’t do that if you can’t play.

“I like him but we just need to see him consistently. I need him to be comfortable with what we are doing here because the two kids (Hewitt and Aston) we have here are doing well at this moment in time.

“I will have to manage him because if he thinks he is going to play every week then he needs to be the best half-back in this competition, because the two we have are doing a massive job for us at the moment. We will be making a decision in the next week or so.”

Jacks’ trial at Bradford was ended recently with Bulls coach James Lowes insisting: “Rhys came and had a bit of dig, but he wasn’t what we were looking for at this time.”