League 1 club snap up sibling duo from Down Under

League 1 outfit Rochdale Hornets have announced the signing of Australian brothers Darcy and Elijah Simpson, who had been left without a club following Cornwall’s demise.

Between them, the Simpsons had racked up nine appearances for Cornwall this term, with younger brother Darcy – a back-rower -having played 20 games in their colours last season after making the move from Down Under.

Elder sibling Elijah, a middle, joined Cornwall ahead of 2025 having won a third consecutive Far North Queensland Rugby League Grand Final in Cairns’ colours at the end of last year.

When Cornwall withdrew from League 1 at the beginning of this month, the pair were left without a club.

But Rochdale have now snapped both of them up, as confirmed by the Hornets on Monday.

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League 1 club Rochdale Hornets snap up sibling duo from Down Under

Prior to his move to the UK, Darcy – who holds both an Australian and British passport – featured in the Queensland Cup for Brisbane Tigers. The back-rower also earned representative honours for Queensland’s under-21s side.

He will link up with Gary Thornton’s squad on Easter Monday (April 21), with older brother Elijah having already done so.

Hornets chairman Andy Mazey said: “It goes without saying that everyone at Rochdale Hornets was deeply saddened by Cornwall’s withdrawal from League 1 earlier this month.

“This unfortunate development rendered several players available with immediate effect, and we therefore had to move quickly to beat off competition and get this double deal over the line.

“The timing for us was good, as Gary (Thornton) and I had been scouring the market for a back-rower, and we are light in this area.

“Darcy is a player that Gary had expressed an interest in previously, largely due to his pedigree having come through first-class systems over in Australia.

“Gary was also keen to add to his middle options, so it’s a timely double boost to the squad.

“Elijah, the elder of the brothers, is a real competitor and brings a wealth of experience.”

Rochdale have won one and lost two of their first three league games this season, and are next in action on Good Friday when Swinton Lions visit the Crown Oil Arena.

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