Mark Moxon ‘delighted’ as trio of Batley Bulldogs stalwarts put pen to paper on new deals

The experienced trio have all been confirmed for the 2025 campaign at Mount Pleasant.

The threesome have a combined age of 103 and, between them, have played in 31 seasons for the Bulldogs, with captain Brown going into his eleventh year at the club having joined in 2015 from Swinton Lions, Leak entering into his thirteenth season and Manning, who has his testimonial year in 2024, playing his tenth campaign over two spells.

Moxon told the Reporter Series:

“They are all going around again which I am very pleased about. It is a core group which has been together for a long time. It is a core that we trust and we know what we are going to get from them.

“I am delighted they are going around again. We have got a trust between ourselves and it gives me great comfort that they will be a part of the group. I am sure they are going to shape the culture of younger lads coming in.

“If we are going to keep the culture going then we need the younger lads to take the mantle from these older blokes when they do decide to move on.

“They are tried and tested at this level and they have been competing and have been pretty successful at this level for a long time now. That is very difficult to replace.

“It is going to be very difficult to replace these kinds of players when they do decide to hang up the boots.”

He added: “The dual reg (with Wakefield Trinity) we have got in place this year is going to help me in terms of a little bit of rotation; some of these older blokes maybe can’t play 30 games now.

“The dual reg may help in giving them a week off every now and again, which they won’t want and they won’t like at the time but ultimately that is up to me to try and manage over the course of the season.”

Also staying at the club is winger Joe Burton, who excelled having joined from League 1 outfit Hunslet.

Moxon said: “He was excellent for us last year. He is a young lad and I am hoping this year he can progress and get even better.”