RICHIE Myler has been handed the number six shirt for his debut season with York Knights.
The move indicates that head coach Andrew Henderson will see the former Leeds Rhinos star predominantly at half-back alongside newly-appointed captain Liam Harris, who continues in the number seven shirt.
A position in which the Knights notably fielded as many as nine combinations last term, they will be competing for half-back spots with Ata Hingano and new recruit Nikau Williams, who will wear numbers 14 and 22 respectively.
Will Dagger is poised to be the club’s starting full-back, having inherited the number one shirt previously held by fan favourite Matty Marsh after his departure to Betfred Championship rivals Sheffield Eagles.
Jimmy Keinhorst will take up the number four shirt as he prepares to make his first Knights appearance since 2020, with last year’s occupant Jesse Dee now wearing shirt number three.
2023 top-scorer AJ Towse has retained his number five shirt ahead of the 2024 campaign. (Image: Craig Hawkhead)
Wingers Joe Brown and AJ Towse keep shirt numbers two and five, with utility backs Myles Harrison and Alex Donaghy taking shirts 23 and 26 respectively.
Prop Ukuma Ta’ai will wear the number eight shirt vacated by Jon Luke Kirby, whilst Conor Fitzsimmons continues to wear number 10. Fellow props Jack Teanby, Brenden Santi and Ronan Michael take shirts 15, 16 and 17.
Following the retirements of Chris Clarkson and Danny Kirmond during the off-season, shirts 11 and 12 see fresh faces in young pair Oli Field and Connor Bailey, the former moving up the squad list from the 32 shirt after a standout debut season last term.
The ever-dependable Will Jubb retains shirt nine as he heads into his eighth season at the Knights, with fellow hookers Josh Daley, Taylor Pemberton and James Cunningham taking up shirt numbers 19, 20 and 21.
Levi Edwards and Bailey Antrobus, who have been sidelined with ACL injuries since mid-March and July respectively, are not expected back until mid-season, reflecting in their shirts 24 and 25.
Young recruits Jack Potter, Harvey Reynolds and Francis Coggle will wear shirts 29, 30 and 31 respectively.
“A lot of it has been based on what I’ve seen at training,” Henderson told The Press of the process behind choosing this year’s squad numbers.
“We’ve had a number of players that have not been available for training – you look at players like Bailey Antrobus, he’s at 25 because he’s not going to be coming back until mid-season.
“It’s probably a reflection of where, as coaches, we see players fitting into the squad, but there’s an element of reward for what we’ve seen at training as well.”
York Knights 2024 Squad Numbers:
- Will Dagger
- Joe Brown
- Jesse Dee
- Jimmy Keinhorst
- AJ Towse
- Richie Myler
- Liam Harris ©
- Ukuma Ta’ai
- Will Jubb
- Conor Fitzsimmons
- Oli Field
- Connor Bailey
- Jordan Thompson
- Nikau Williams
- Jack Teanby
- Brenden Santi
- Ronan Michael
- In Memory of our Fans
- Josh Daley
- Taylor Pemberton
- James Cunningham
- Ata Hingano
- Myles Harrison
- Levi Edwards
- Bailey Antrobus
- Alex Donaghy
- Harry Price
- Brad Ward
- Jack Potter
- Harvey Reynolds
- Francis Coggle
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