Hunslet RLFC have point to prove says ex-Leeds Rhinos man as 1895 Cup campaign begins v Featherstone Rovers

Hunslet's former Leeds Rhinos forward Josh Jordan-Roberts. Picture by Hunslet RLFC.

The Parksiders finished second in Betfred League One last season, but successive home defeats in the play-offs shattered their hopes of promotion to the Championship. Rovers topped the Championship table before a similarly catastrophic play-offs campaign cost them a place in Super League.

Jordan-Roberts made one Super League appearance for Leeds in 2017 and worked as a primary school PE teacher before joining Rhinos’ Foundation last year in a development officer role. He had spells with York Knights and Rochdale Hornets and signed for Hunslet two years ago.

“We’ve got to build on last year,” he said as Hunslet prepared to begin their 1895 Cup campaign. “We put down some foundations and they’ve got to be built on. We’ve still got a core of players who experienced that last year and it can only help those of us who were there to kick on and strive for what we missed out on.”

The forward admitted: “It was an opportunity that went begging. We look back and think there’s no reason why we shouldn’t have been in the promotion final, but the wheels did kind of fall off and some of us have got a point to prove.

“It’s proving we can do it under pressure, because there’s a lot of pressure games now. That league is going to be tight so we’ve just got to keep our wheels moving and get as high as we can.”

Sunday’s group game is Hunslet’s first competitive fixture under coach Dean Muir and the team boss admitted it’s the toughest-possible start. “The good thing is it’s at home,” Muir said. “We fancy ourselves at home and we’re fortunate that we’ve done an opposed session with Fev and trained with Fordy [Rovers coach James Ford]. We know each other quite well and how we are going to play so it’s a case of our lads turning up and performing. If we do that, I’ll be happy.”

Hunslet face Leeds Rhinos next Friday in the annual Harry Jepson OBE Memorial Trophy tie and resume their 1895 Cup campaign against visitors Batley Bulldogs on Sunday, February 18.

Hunslet’s 21-man squad for Sunday’s game is: Watson, Ferreira, Goddard, Williams, Beharrell, Hallas, Gaylor, Everett, Jordan-Roberts, Levy, Knowles, Mallinson, Whitmore, Syme, Wray, Berry, Spencer , Orr, O’Hanlon, Coventry, Render.