Sheffield Eagles: Mark Aston lays down gauntlet to Ollie Davies

Davies was one of Aston’s most consistent operators last season, completely turning around his fortunes following a sluggish 2018.

His efforts were rewarded with a new one-year deal, with Aston now laying down the gauntlet to the young forward to take his game to the next level in 2020.

Aston told The Star: “Ollie made massive strides in the last 12 months for us.

“If he carries on doing that then I'm sure we'll want to keep him a bit longer.

“He'll still have aspirations to play as high as he possibly can.

“We have him for a year and in that time we need to progress and develop him, and if he can do that then who knows what might happen.

“Can we tie him down for longer? Let's see how we go.”

The foundations for Davies’ success last season were laid during pre-season, where he was singled out by Aston for his commitment and determination to prove the doubters wrong.

The ex-Swinton and St Helens ace set a high benchmark last season.

And Aston is looking for more of the same ahead of the new campaign.

He added: “Before his second season he had a great pre-season which set the foundations for some strong performances.

“He looked a lot more like a Championship player.

“But the challenge for him now is to progress, and not sit back and think he's achieved everything.”