11:34am Saturday 28th November 2009
By Peter Martini
York City Knights recruit Danny Hill is loving life back in professional rugby league – and reckons his new club have put together a squad that can challenge for the Championship One title.
As confirmed on our website thepress.co.uk yesterday, Hull-based former Super League back-rower Hill has signed for the Knights for 2010, having taken time away from the pro arena in 2009.
The 25-year-old put pen to paper on Thursday night, but has been training with his new charges for a few weeks – and has already seen enough to believe promotion is possible.
“It’s largely a new squad, but there are a lot of players who know each other,” he said.
“There are good young players who were on the brink of Super League first teams and there are older lads with experience and quality, and Chris Thorman is a massive boost to all of us – he’s been a world-class player. It should be an interesting season.”
Asked about his aims for 2010, he said: “Promotion is every team’s goal. My personal goal is to prove myself on the pitch, and if we can play together as a team things will go well.”
Hill, a product of amateurs West Hull, played 11 times for his first professional club Hull FC.
He then played 12 times for Wigan in 2006 and ’07, twice while on loan with Hull KR, and, latterly, 18 times for Widnes in the 2008 Championship, scoring 11 tries.
However, his career has been hampered by injuries – shoulder problems at Hull and an awkward broken toe at Wigan reduced first-team appearances to 46 in four years – and he took time out of the pro game in 2009 to learn trades, including emergency services training, while player-coaching for amateurs East Hull. “I had a lot of injuries and bad luck really,” explained the former England Schoolboy international. “Things hadn’t gone right in one way or another, but it’s time to get back into it semi-professionally.
“I felt a bit lost not playing and this is a great chance for me. It’s nice to get back into it, especially at a club like York. There were a couple of other teams interested, but there are people at York like Brett Waller and Ian Bell who I’ve known for a few years, so it was an easy decision really.
“They’re a good up-and-coming club and were unlucky not to go up last year. There are a lot of Hull lads there, and Chris Thorman going down as player/ assistant-coach is great. He’s a player I’d love to play alongside.”
Hill now hopes his own experience of playing and training alongside the likes of Trent Barrett, Lafeta Paleasina and Thomas Leuluai at Wigan, under former Great Britain coach Brian Noble, can benefit him at York.
“It was hard to break into that team – it was full of world-class players. I was on the bench a bit and was 18th man a lot. But I probably had one of the best experiences of my life there.
“Brian Noble had wanted to sign me while he was at Bradford – it’s a confidence boost when any coach comes in for you and respects you, but with someone like him it’s a massive boost.”
Hill has not pinpointed a return to Super League as a definitive goal – enjoying success with York being his priority.
“I’m a lot happier now with what I’m doing,” he said. “If it (a return to Super League) happens, it happens. But for me it’s a case of getting back into it.
“I’m really enjoying training – the lads at York are brilliant and the coaches are great.
“We’ve got a good team and hopefully we can achieve good things.”
Meanwhile, the Knights have switched their friendly at home to Leeds Rhinos to Wednesday, February 10, as the original date, 24 hours earlier, clashed with a York City home match.
© Copyright 2001-2010 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.yorkpress.co.uk