Newcastle Thunder bring in former St Helens man

Newcastle Thunder have struck a deal to bring talented hooker Josh Eaves to the North East, with the 24-year-old arriving from Betfred Super League champions St Helens on a one-year deal.

Playing 41-career games to date, 12 of these have been in the top flight, with further experience gained at Championship and League 1 level.

Part of the Saints set-up since the age of 14, Eaves was part of the Academy Championship side that went unbeaten in 2016

Making his debut with the Saints in the top flight in 2019, he has also featured for both Wakefield Trinity and Leigh Centurions whilst on loan in 2021.

An on-field leader who demonstrates intellengence around the ruck, Eaves heads to the North East ready to embark on the next stage of his promising career.

Explaining the move to Thunder, Eaves said: “Eamon [O’ Carroll] lives about ten minutes away from me so we met up, had a coffee and chat about the club, the style of play being aimed for and that pretty much made up my mind.

“Eamon speaks very well about the club, about how ambitious it is and the direction it wants to go, but also about the lifestyle that players enjoy up here.

“The ambition is something that I want to be a part of.””

Head coach Eamon O’Carroll said: “A big focus for us when recruiting was to bring in good players to help us develop on field, but more importantly good people to drive a strong culture through the club.

“Josh is coming from a successful environment and I know he will bring some great qualities to our club. He will also set a good example to our young lads who we have brought into the squad.

“I had nothing but good feedback about Josh from his coaches and teammates, after meeting him and listening to him i knew he would be the perfect fit for us.

“He is at a stage in his career where he wants to cement a starting place in a team and I feel we can provide him with the right environment to do so and we can also help develop his game.

“I’m looking forward to working with josh and building something up here in Newcastle with him and the rest of his new teammates.”

Eaves is Thunder’s eleventh confirmed signing for the 2022 season, with the hooker joining Jake Anderson, Jay Chapelhow, Ted Chapelhow, Alex Donaghy, Brad Day, Alex Foster, Tom Minns, Craig Mullen, Ukuma Ta’ai and Kyle Trout as confirmed members of Thunder’s squad, with more players to be revealed this coming week.