A look at 13 players who Cornwall could sign for inaugural season
We’ve taken a look at 13 players who Cornwall RLFC could sign for their maiden campaign.
Professional rugby league will go to Cornwall for the first time after they were given the go ahead to play in League 1 in 2022.
With pre-season set to get underway for most clubs, we take a look at some free agents available on the market for the new side.
Owen Buckley
We still believe winger Owen Buckley could be without a club for 2022. The 22-year-old winger featured for Swinton on loan in 2021, and is a product of the Vikings’ academy. He scored 11 tries in his 13 senior Widnes appearances, including seven in seven games during 2019. The talented outside-back also had a memorable hat-trick against Oldham in the Challenge Cup the same year. He was released by the club at the completion of the 2021 campaign.
Misi Taulapapa
Misi Taulapapa joined Doncaster for the 2021 season on a one-year deal, and is believed to still be a free agent heading into 2022. The vastly experienced Samoan international has previously appeared for New Zealand Warriors, Cronulla Sharks, Sheffield, Featherstone and Newcastle Thunder before making the move to the Keepmoat Stadium.
Matthew Wright
Former NRL centre Matty Wright joined Thunder midway through the 2019 campaign as the club looked to push for promotion. The Samoan international made 22 appearances for the Newcastle side, scoring 10 tries. He was released at the end of the 2021 campaign. The 30-year-old will no doubt be a good pick up for Championship and League 1 clubs.
Nick Gregson
Nick Gregson started his career at Wigan, making 16 appearances for the Super League club before joining Leigh. The 25-year-old has also featured for Workington, Oldham and Swinton and is a talented versatile player. He also played rugby union for Preston Grasshoppers before returning to league with the Lions.
Tom Spencer
The Wigan-born prop forward made a handful of appearances for his hometown club before going on to make more than 100 appearances for Leigh. He joined London Broncos between 2017-2018 before returning to the Leigh Sports Village, and signed an extended contract until the end of the 2021 season. He also played for Swinton on loan in the last campaign.
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Cole Oakley
The middle played his junior rugby league for both Rylands Sharks and Woolston Rovers. He came through the Warrington Wolves academy system. The youngster joined Newcastle Thunder as the club began recruiting for a first season back in the game’s second tier, and was released by the club at the end of 2021. He also featured for League 1 side Rochdale on loan in the 2021 campaign.
Jake Emmitt
The former Super League forward was most recently with Barrow, earning promotion to the Championship in 2021. Emmitt has made more than 250 career appearances across spells with St Helens, Castleford Tigers, Salford, Leigh Centurions, Swinton, Keighley and Toronto Wolfpack. He has also won six caps for Wales.
Nathan Roebuck
Nathan Roebuck is a free agent heading into 2022. The talented youngster made a try-scoring first-team debut against Salford, having progressed through the academy at Warrington.
Jack Logan
Jack Logan made his Hull FC debut in 2014, and has gone on to appear for Doncaster, Toronto and Batley. He re-joined the Black and Whites on loan in 2021 before switching to Leigh on a deal that only lasted until the end of 2021.
Lewis Tierney
Lewis Tierney progressed through the ranks at Wigan, making 40 appearances before moving to Perpignan with Catalans Dragons. The Scotland international returned to England to feature for Leigh in 2021 in the Super League, and can cover a range of outside-back positions.
Nathaniel Peteru
Nathaniel Peteru made the switch to Super League in 2018 to join Leeds after three years with NRL side Gold Coast Titans. Peteru can add Hull Kingston Rovers to his list of former clubs, and appeared for Leigh in 2021. He would be one of the biggest names in League 1 if he was to join Cornwall RLFC.
Olly Ashall-Bott
The 23-year-old has struggled with injuries since his debut with Widnes in 2018, but is still a talented full-back in the game. He joined London Broncos in 2020, and featured for both Huddersfield and Wakefield in 2021. He would make a very good full-back for Cornwall RLFC.
Anthony Mullally
The former Widnes, Huddersfield, Leeds and Toronto forward most recently played for AS Carcassonne in the French Elite 1. He is currently located in Cornwall, and could be one of the most experienced names in League 1 for Cornwall’s journey. He could also make for a strong captain for the news side.