LIONS ROAR – 8TH MARCH 2026 – Swinton Lions RLFC

LIONS V NEWCASTLE THUNDER
Sunday 8 March 2026, Kick-Off 3pm

This coming Sunday we welcome Newcastle Thunder to Heywood Road in the Betfred Championship.

Thanks to their close relationship with Super League outfit York RLFC, the north-east side look to have taken positive strides following a couple of very difficult years in League 1. Therefore another stern test awaits the Lions, who could do with as much support and encouragement as possible!

Match tickets are available via our website at https://swintonlionsrlfc.co.uk/ , and cash or card payments are also welcome on the day on the gate.

LIVE STREAM ON YOUTUBE

After the highly successful live streaming of our recent match against London Broncos, and if you’re not able to join us in person at Heywood Road on Sunday, we are looking to repeat the exercise for the Newcastle Thunder game.

The “Live” stream with full match commentary is available for a shade over a tenner via the following link .

https://lounges.tv/lounge/details/GGbRBUstqQ?isWebOnly=true

Please note that the vast majority of the modest fee directly helps Swinton Lions.

INCOMING LIONS ON LOAN

Jack Purtill

Jack comes to us on a short-term loan deal from Wigan Warriors. He can play half-back or hooker and will be 20 years old in July. As a youngster he played for Leigh Miners Rangers before joining the Leeds Rhinos scholarship and academy systems, then recently moved nearer to home with Wigan Warriors.

Deacon Connolly

Deacon is a young centre who has joined us on a month’s loan from Widnes Vikings. Deacon originally came through the ranks at Rochdale Mayfield ARLFC, before being taken into the Academy system at Warrington Wolves.

Luca Walsh

Luca is a highly promising French half-back who was spotted playing for Lezignan by St Helens. Although still only 19 years old, Luca made an immediate impact with the Saints Academy and Reserve teams, and at Swinton we’re excited to be playing a part in the next stages of his development.

OUTGOING LOANS

Deane Meadows

Deane is set to get some regular game time with St Jude’s after we agreed Community Dual Registration terms with the Wigan-based club.

Ellis Anderson

Ellis is likely to sign Dual Registration forms with Leigh Miners Rangers.

Kye Jacobson

Similarly, Kye is likely to sign Dual Registration forms with Rochdale Mayfield.

ASSISTANT COACH

Following the recent departure of our assistant coach Paul Anderson, we hope to be in a position to formally name his replacement early next week.

1895 CUP – SHEFFIELD EAGLES

The Lions are at home again on Sunday 15 March when Sheffield Eagles come to Heywood Road in the Preliminary Round of the 1895 Cup (kick-off 3pm).

We don’t face Sheffield in our league fixtures, so it’s a good opportunity to see an opponent that we’ve not entertained for a couple of years. This game will not be live-streamed.

INJURIES UPDATE

Jack Stevens

Jack is likely to miss the next 10 weeks or so with a knee problem. Jack had a scan earlier in the week and we now have a firm diagnosis plus a set recovery and rehabilitation plan.

Jamie Reddecliff

Jamie should be available for the visit of Newcastle on Sunday having missed the last couple of games.

Ben Killan

Our close-season signing from Rochdale has been very unlucky with a training injury but is now close to fitness and should feature in our 21-man squad for the coming weekend.

Reece Briers

Reece picked up a knock in the loss at Batley last weekend and looks doubtful for the visit of Newcastle.

Fin Beardsworth

Fin is our most serious concern, and we await a further medical update on a back injury sustained against Rochdale Hornets on the opening day of the season.

Samy Kibula

When Samy came to us at the start of this year he wasn’t 100% fit having suffered injuries with his previous clubs. However, since joining the Lions, he has worked hard with our backroom staff and shown fantastic grit and determination to get himself match ready again.

He is now expected to play some part in Sunday’s game against Newcastle and add some steel to our forward line from here onwards. Once again we acknowledge Pride Builder for their assistance in Samy’s signing and we thank the PB members for their patience whilst awaiting his debut. We’re sure Samy will be a terrific asset to our team.

MANCHESTER SWINTON LIONESSES – PRE-SEASON UPDATE 🦁

Pre-season continues to go well for the Manchester Swinton Lionesses. The squad is putting in the hard yards as we build towards the new season, and there’s already been plenty to learn from our recent match against Barrow. Those lessons will be put into action next Thursday when we face Widnes at Ince Rose Bridge.

We’re also incredibly proud of the Lionesses who represented Scotland against the USA last week. Sammi, Emma, Georgia and Morgan all performed brilliantly and represented the club with real pride.

The countdown is now firmly on to 29 March, when we begin the defence of the Challenge Shield. Everyone involved with the club is excited to get the season underway.

There’s also some very special news for the club. After 12 months on the sidelines, following huge effort, dedication and commitment, Olivia Harborow is hoping to be available for selection for the match on the 12th. The club is incredibly proud of Olivia’s determination and resilience, and we can’t wait to see her back out on the pitch.

For more news about the Lionesses’ preparations for the season, check out the latest podcast with Jason Harborow, where there are some great insights into the growth and future of women’s rugby league.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5EDo9opUzUpS9K0THtasbL?si=4c64301794a647f0

LIONS & LIONESSES VERSUS SALFORD RLFC
Sunday 5 April

The most eagerly awaited date in the 2026 calendar is of course the huge double-header versus Salford on Sunday 5 April, with our Lions kicking off at 2pm and the Lionesses at 4.30pm.

Match tickets remain on open sale via our website https://swintonlionsrlfc.co.uk/tickets/ . We also have a limited number of Corporate Hospitality places still available at only £45 per person (includes match tickets and two-course lunch).

To enquire about hospitality please email: [email protected]