Rovers bring forward Atkin move

Hull KR have confirmed half-back Chris Atkin has joined the club from Swinton with immediate effect.

The promising youngster had already agreed to join the Robins on a two-year deal from next season, but has arrived early at KCOM Craven Park after the club agreed to pay the Lions a fee.

Head coach Tim Sheens said: “We’ve taken the opportunity to bring Chris in early to strengthen our options in the halves and we’re looking forward to having him on board.

“He can also play at full-back and he’s a player that I think will grow with us in our systems.

“When and where we use him is yet to be determined by a number of factors, but as a playmaker he obviously needs a bit of time to get used to all the calls.

“He needs to understand our terminology and timings, so it’s not as easy as throwing a front rower in there for example.

“He needs to feel comfortable with his role in the side and in bossing around some of the senior players, or telling the likes of Shaun (Lunt) or Jamie (Ellis) he wants the ball.

“We’ve also got to see where he’s at in terms of fitness levels and various other things.

“It’s a bonus to get Chris in this week, so we’ll take a look at him and see whether he comes into contention to play against Halifax.

“We’ve got three weeks until the first game of the Qualifiers, so that should give him enough time to settle in.”