Championship side Batley Bulldogs have bolstered their pack with two new signings ahead of the 2026 campaign.
The Bulldogs finished second bottom in the 2025 Championship after winning four of their 24 league games. As such, they’ll be determined to improve on that next season under James Ford, who has taken over from John Kear at Mount Pleasant.
And, it seems they are committed to giving Ford the tools he needs to make improvements with two more signings coming in the shape of Jay Scriven and Liam Kirk.
Scriven was on the books at both Leeds Rhinos and Wakefield Trinity as a youngster, spending time in the scholarship system at Headingley before going on to represent Wakefield’s reserves and under-19s.
However, he has spent the last three seasons playing down under, having joined Tully Tigers in 2023. He won the Tigers’ player of the year award that season and he has also spent time with Southern Suburbs.
He has now returned to the UK to join Batley and he will be joined in the pack by the experienced Kirk.
Kirk knows his way around the Championship, having spent much of his career playing in the level below Super League. He started his career with Bradford Bulls and made 83 appearances for the club between his debut in 2016 and his exit in 2020.
The prop went on to spend a season with Oldham before a two-year stint at Sheffield Eagles. He joined Widnes Vikings in 2024 but spent the second half of last season with Midlands Hurricans in League One.
With more than 170 games under his belt, Kirk will add plenty of experience to Batley’s middle unit and at the age of 28, he is still at the peak of his powers.
Batley have been busy as they prepare for 2026 with Wes Bruines, Ben Reynolds, Robson Stevens and Evan Hodgson also joining the club.
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