Championship club set to make further signings after “missing out on a few names”

Mike Eccles has taken great encouragement from the progress his squad has made since the turn of the year and is excited for the Broncos’ Betfred Championship campaign to begin.

The club’s Director of Rugby and Performance has led a high-intensity programme of pre-
season activity and is pleased with players’ response to sessions which have prioritised
developing on-field combinations and physical strength.

Experienced Fiji international Henry Raiwalui will join the squad for the first time this
evening when training resumes after he landed in the UK from Sydney, Australia, at the
weekend.

Eccles expects Raiwalui’s arrival to positively impact the team and has vowed to keep
players focused before Rugby League returns to Wimbledon on Sunday, February 5.

“As the weeks you go by, you can see the team get slicker and confidence is building in the
squad as those combinations come together,” said Eccles.

“The lads are working really hard and we’re making sure we keep our heads down so we can do our thing.

“We’re pleased to have Henry (Raiwalui) join us and we’ve got the Capital Challenge against London Skolars to look towards as well. I’m really pleased that fixture is back on our
schedule.

“We’ll be doing lots of work behind closed doors as well to ensure we prepare in the best
possible way for Batley. They’ll be ready for it, and we’ll use every hour available to us in the
next month to be ready too.”

Raiwalui is the seventh fresh face to be introduced to the Broncos’ squad this winter.

The 33-year-old joins Jarred Bassett, Marcus Stock, Ethan Natoli plus Academy graduates Jensen Monk, Euan Parke and Dan Hoyes.

Eccles expressed the importance of recruiting the correct calibre of player, adding that he will not be rushed into signing players simply to make up the numbers. Conversations are being held daily and he hopes to confirm some new recruits later this month.

“We’re having conversations every day,” said Eccles. “We did miss out on a few names, but we’re making progress on bringing in some more bodies.

“It’s important we sign individuals who fit into the club’s culture and can play an important role in our 2023 campaign.

“Outside that, our intensity in training will increase every single day building up to Batley. Players will be exposed to full contact and high intensity running sessions – if we don’t do that then we run the risk of picking up injuries when the season starts.

“We want to wrap them up in cotton wool so we don’t pick up any bumps and scrapes. But
doing so risks being several bodies down for Rounds Two and Three. It’s about striking a
balance, but super high intensity sessions are the goal.”