Easy route to Grand Final preferable for Aston as Eagles eye repeat show

They upset the odds to become the first side to win the title from fourth place, seeing off minor premiers Featherstone Rovers with a thoroughly professional display at Warrington in September.

Few aside from those within the Don Valley camp itself truly expected the result, something Aston alluded to in his post-match comments.

Neither he, nor any of his players or the club itself was even nominated for an award at the league’s end-of-season gala presentation dinner which was held just days before that Grand Final triumph; – only prolific full-back Quentin Laulu-Togagae made the Championship Dream Team.

Aston admitted that snub drove his squad on but he does not believe anything has changed as they prepare to begin their title defence at Halifax on Thursday.

He is not bitter or rancorous in any way, nor does he seek any recompense, it is just a truth he firmly believes in as the new season beckons.

“I don’t reckon they will think of us any more because of what we did,” he told the Yorkshire Post, Eagles having been largely ignored in 2011 as well.

“I think people will still be disrespectful towards us and feel certain things but we take it all with a pinch of salt and get on with our own business.

“There’s some real positive stuff happening around the place, with facilities and in other areas, too, which will take us further forward and we have to look after ourselves.

“Teams are strengthening and everyone will still be tipping Halifax, Leigh and Featherstone as the teams to win it this year.

“They won’t be talking about us and we don’t mind that.

“We’ll just work hard and get our heads down, which we’ve done for the last three years.

“People forget we got to a semi-final when we were beaten by Halifax in 2010, reached the final the season after and lost to Featherstone and then got to the final again last year and this time won.

“It’s not just something we did last season out of nothing; there has been a clear progression.”

That is irrefutable but Aston acknowledges that – just because they enjoyed their finest hour since those 1998 Challenge Cup-winning heroics against Wigan –there can be no stalling now.

For all Sheffield have reached the last two league finals, both times they have been forced to do so from far afield due to some nagging inconsistencies.

It almost mirrors Leeds Rhinos’ narrative in Super League and – with just 12 wins from their 18 league games last term – it is something Aston concedes needs to be remedied.

“We finished fourth again last year and it’s not good enough,” he said.

“We don’t want to always go the hard way to the Grand Final. We want to find the easy route and players are aware of that.

“They set goals of what they want to achieve and that is one of them.

“We’re a top-two team ultimately and we really need to start showing that.

“The big challenge last year was can we get to the grand final again?

“We did that and we enjoyed the pressure. Now it’s time to refocus, make sure we’re competitive and get in that top two.”

Ambitious Featherstone have finished top in each of the last three seasons to affirm their pedigree as the most likely candidate to achieve Super League status yet they have only lifted one title during that period, pointing to a lack of conviction when it matters most.

Determined Sheffield have proved their mettle with that regard and are making impressive gains off the pitch, too, in their pursuit of a return to the elite.

Regardless, however, Aston is not surprised that his side are not being touted as favourites to repeat last year’s exploits.

“Fev’ have spent some money again taking Matt James, Steve Crossley and Andy Ellis who are people who have or should have played Super League,” he said.

“They have got Lamont Bryan, too, from London Broncos so they’ll be there again while Leigh are looking forward.

“But Batley and Dewsbury think they’ve recruited well, too, and we’ve signed some quality as well.

“Colton Roche has been involved at Leeds Rhinos, James Davey’s played Super League with Wakefield and then there’s Pat Walker and Tom Armstrong who have proved what they can do in the Championship.

“I think it’ll be another great competition.”

Sheffield head into Thursday’s trip to The Shay having had no friendlies prior to the big kick-off but that is not something which causes Aston any headaches.

His side have had a recent three-day training camp in France and added: “We’ve trained at the right level.

“The intensity is very good and we do a fair bit of contact in our training. We don’t take things easy.

“New players might not have their timing yet but we’ve done a lot of work and this is what we choose to do as a club.

“We want a good start to the season, obviously, but it’s how we finish that matters.”

Another reason for his reluctance to play warm-up games is his belief that sides already play too many games.

The competition has been increased from 10 to 14 clubs this season, which further riles Aston.

They may have fewer Northern Rail Cup fixtures to contend with in 2013 but Aston – Lance Todd Trophy winner in that famous 1998 Wembley final – insisted: “It’s just so frustrating.

“We do start too early and with too many games. I’ve spoken up about it before in the Championship, but other people don’t think we do.

“It’s summer rugby but we’re starting in January and has anybody been outside and looked at the ground?

“The pleasing thing for me is we got some good work done in France and it’s a good job as we’d have lost three days training over here.

“We look at players’ welfare, the quality of the actual competition and know we could end up playing 36 games.

“Super League don’t play that many so why should we? It doesn’t make sense.”

The most pressing matter for all Eagles fans, though, is where they will play in the future after Sheffield Council announced plans to possibly knock down their Don Valley Stadium home.

But Aston, in his dual-role as club chief executive, said he hopes there will be positive news within the coming weeks.

“We have a lot of good people, like MP Richard Caborn, working with us and the council,” he said.

“A lot think we can try redevelop Don Valley into a rugby facility. We can’t afford to do that on our own but the people we are speaking to are trying to help us deliver.

“None of us want to lose the stadium; we want to make it work.

“If it doesn’t, Plan B will see us at Bramall Lane stadium which is an excellent home, too.”