Hunslet RLFC Head Coach Kyle Trout and his team have prepared their squad for the new Championship season starting this Sunday (18 January 2026) at home to Dewsbury Rams.
With all the headlines being about the fate of Featherstone Rovers and the new Salford RLFC, Hunslet have been busy away building a squad for 2026 after last season’s sharp lessons learnt in the Championship.
“The squad’s getting there, it’s been a big turn around and has taken a while, but the connections and combinations in the team are starting to come together. We have more experience this season, and hopefully that will show through and help the younger players,” said Trout.
Although Hunslet have had no pre-season friendlies they have been playing behind closed doors and have been training in partnership with local club Hunslet ARLFC, which should result in a plus for both Clubs.
“Although we have a good squad, we still have some budget and are looking to strengthen. We keep our ears to the ground and of course having former Leeds Rhino Keith Senior involved means we can attract players attentions. We look for exciting prospects and good loans, but we don’t want to disrupt the togetherness in the squad.”
Dewsbury may be a good start for Hunslet, The Rams played in League 1 last season and Hunslet without a home win in 2025 could do with a good start.
“We are aware of the opportunity starting off at home, we want to hit the ground running but also manage expectations as it’s the first game of the season. We know their threats and where we can do damage, we have one more session, then we are ready for Sunday.”
It’s likely Cam Berry (ankle) and Dan Abram (wrist) will be missing, but other than that Trout has a full squad to pick from.
Meanwhile Dewsbury Moor will play Stanningley this weekend, with the winners hosting Hunslet in Round 3 of the Challenge Cup, with the winner of that fixture hosting Huddersfield Giants in Round 4.
With Featherstone Rovers not competing this season, Hunslet have a fixture gap on Sunday 1 February which they are hoping to fill with a friendly.
This Sunday’s kick off is at 3pm at South Leeds Stadium, Middleton Grove, LS11 5DJ. Pre-purchased tickets are £20; £15 over 65, student & Blue Light; £10 16-21 yrs; Free under 16s with an adult from: hunsletrflc.ticketco.events.
Photo: Hunslet’s Head Coach Kyle Trout
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