Aston: Time is now for Jordan to claim regular Eagles place

Sheffield Eagles director of rugby Mark Aston says now is the time for Jordan Cox to press his claim for a regular spot, with new faces expected to arrive to bolster the Eagles' ranks.

Cox was a high-profile arrival during the close season, but has largely found himself on the fringes of Aston’s team.

After undergoing knee surgery, the former Warrington ace was playing catch up during pre-season, with Aston often publicly challenging him to show more in training to earn a regular spot in his 17.

In recent weeks, Cox has found himself back in Aston’s thinking, with the Eagles supremo challenging the 24-year-old to rubber stamp his place in the side, ahead of an expected influx of reinforcements.

“He has had a taste of it over the past couple of games,” Aston told The Star.

“He needs to be better, that’s what we are looking for, week-by-week we want to see improvement from him. He has had a bit of a rushed start to his Sheffield Eagles career, but that is all forgotten when you get to this time of the year when you need players to be standing up and be counted.”

Aston insists he has seen a big improvement behind the scenes with the ex-Hull KR prop, which has resulted in his inclusion in the last two Championship games.