Championship side York Knights confirm new captain ahead of 2024 campaign

Championship side York Knights have confirmed that former Hull KR and Hull FC man Liam Harris will skipper the side for the 2024 campaign.

The 26-year-old from Hull played just once for the Robins but had a successful spell with the Knights on loan back in 2017 during his debut season, and having re-joined in 2022 he now finds himself as the club captain.

Harris was a key player for the Knights last year as they mounted a play-off charge in both 2022 and 2023, earning the honours of Graham Steadman Player of the Year last season.

He’ll now skipper Andrew Henderson’s side in the upcoming campaign, something that the club confirmed via their website and social media.

A statement read: “York Knights are delighted to announce the appointment of Liam Harris as the team’s new Captain!

“Harris, who is proudly sponsored by Monk Bar Model Shop, enjoyed a tremendous season with York in 2023, winning the Graham Steadman Player of the Year after guiding the Knights to the Betfred Championship Play-Offs.

“The 26-year-old is nearing 100 appearances for York having previously played key roles in the Club’s run to the Betfred Championship Play-Off Semi-Finals in 2022 and third-placed finish in the Betfred Championship in 2019.

“The half-back succeeds former skipper Chris Clarkson, who announced his retirement during the off-season, and takes his first step into Captaincy.”

Harris said: “To become Captain of this Club means a lot to me and it hasn’t really sunk in yet. It’s something that I’m really humbled by, to follow in the footsteps of those that have come before me.

“In my time at the Club, that’s Tim Spears and Chris Clarkson, so I’ve had a pretty good apprenticeship under those two.

“I’ve played alongside some really good leaders before, even some that weren’t Captains, like Danny Kirmond, who is one of the best that I’ve ever played alongside and someone that I’ve learned a lot from.

“There’s pieces of leadership skills that I’ve been picking up over the years that hopefully I can now implement into my game.”

Head Coach Andrew Henderson added: “It’s a big responsibility for anybody to take on the Captaincy of this Club and I felt like Liam Harris was the right fit for us going into 2024.

“Looking at last season, there were things that I put in place behind the scenes to drip-feed Liam responsibility and I suppose potentially groom him into this role, knowing that Chris Clarkson may retire at the end of the year.

“Looking at Liam from the start of the season and his growth throughout the year, both in terms of his on-field performances and his off-field actions, plus the level of trust he has from his team-mates, were all key factors in making him Captain.

“Liam not only became a really pivotal player for us in the final third of last season but he also grew into that leadership role, even though he didn’t have Captain next to his name.

“Liam has grabbed this opportunity with both hands and he’s really excited about taking on this responsibility and continuing to grow as a leader within this organisation and on the field.

“I’m really excited to see him in the role and working with him further and hopefully he’ll continue the form that he showed for us at the back-end of the season, but be better again in 2024.”