Former Super League septet among eight departures from Championship club
From left to right: Former Super League stars Matty Dawson-Jones, Cory Aston and Eddie Battye have all departed Championship side Sheffield Eagles
Sheffield Eagles have confirmed eight departures following a disappointing campaign in the Championship, with seven of the players leaving the club boasting Super League experience on their CV.
The Eagles had already announced the retirement of former Hull KR and Salford ace Kris Welham prior to their final game of the season at home against Barrow Raiders.
Craig Lingard’s side won that game 26-12 at Olympic Legacy Park on Sunday, and Welham fittingly got over for a try on what was his 450th and final senior career appearance.
That was just their sixth league victory all year though, and having finished 11th on the ladder in the second tier, Sheffield have published their departures list in full.
Of those leaving, the only player without any Super League experience is Evan Hodgson. Having spent five seasons with the club, he departs having played exactly 100 games in their colours.
Former Super League septet among eight departures from Championship club
Matty Dawson-Jones – who represented Huddersfield, Leigh, St Helens and Hull FC in Super League – will also depart alongside veteran prop Eddie Battye.
Set to turn 34 in December, Battye has spent the last two years at Sheffield and is nearing the end of a career which saw him don a shirt for both London and Wakefield in the top-flight.
Elsewhere, half-back pair Danny Craven and Cory Aston are both departing Olympic Legacy Park.
Ex-Widnes Vikings playmaker Craven only joined the Eagles midway through 2025 from fellow Championship side Oldham, and leaves having featured nine times for the club.
Aston meanwhile brings an end to a third stint at Sheffield on the back of a year which also saw dad and long-serving head coach Mark Aston depart the club in difficult circumstances.
The 30-year-old briefly donned a shirt in Super League for Castleford back in 2019, but it is the Eagles where he has most commonly found a home.
Former Wakefield man Titus Gwaze and ex-Ireland international forward Oliver Roberts round off the list of Sheffield’s departees.
Gwaze spent three seasons in the Eagles’ colours and amassed 75 appearances, scoring ten tries including one this year against Batley.
Roberts, whose time in Super League saw him represent Bradford and hometown club Huddersfield as well as Salford, has also enjoyed a three-season stint at Sheffield.
With Hodgson aside, the other seven players departing Sheffield boast more than 600 combined Super League appearances and close to 180 tries in the top-flight.
