Sheffield Eagles Extend Impressive Run Despite Racial Abuse Incident
The Sheffield Eagles continued their excellent season in the RFL Championship, securing a hard-fought 18-10 victory over the York Knights on Sunday. However, the day was marred by a disturbing incident of racial abuse targeting one of the Eagles’ players.
Currently sitting second in the league table with just three losses all season, the Eagles have been in superb form. They made it to the final of the 1895 Cup and even threatened to pull off a shock against Wigan Warriors in the Challenge Cup, going into the half-time break level at 12-12 before eventually succumbing 44-18.
“You do not know me as a man, you do not know me away from the 160 minutes you see me play a year. Keep my race out of it.” – Joel Farrell
Mark Aston’s side has been led by standout performers such as Cory Aston, Kris Welham, and Matty Marsh, while familiar names like Jesse Sene-Lefao, Anthony Thackeray, Ben Jones-Bishop, and Eddie Battye feature in the squad. The coaching staff also boasts the experienced Keith Senior, who spent over a decade playing for the Leeds Rhinos and represented England and Great Britain.
The win at the York Community Stadium should have been a perfect result for the Eagles, especially as the Knights had been unbeaten since Mark Applegarth took over as their new head coach. However, the joy was short-lived when forward Joel Farrell, who scored the try that sealed the victory, took to Twitter to address disturbing racist comments made by a York fan online.
Farrell, who featured for Jamaica at the 2022 World Cup and is proud of his Jamaican heritage, eloquently expressed his disappointment. This incident is particularly concerning as it is not the first time this year that the RFL Championship has had to confront racist behavior, with the Bradford Bulls also responding to similar comments earlier in the season.
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