New Papua New Guinea international signing will get ‘people talking’ about Dewsbury Rams
Dewsbury Rams have announced the signing of Papua New Guinea international prop McKenzie Yei on a season-long loan.
Yei joins from Oldham Roughyeds in the Championship having become a fan-favourite at Featherstone Rovers.
The powerful forward featured for PNG at the delayed 2021 Rugby League World Cup, playing in three of their games before they were knocked out by England at the quarter-finals stage.
And Dewsbury’s head coach, Paul March, is delighted to have secured the front-rower’s loan signing until the end of 2025.
He said: “McKenzie will bolster our squad and pack massively. It is going to be a signing that will turn a few Dewsbury supporters’ heads.
“We are going into the business end of the season so to bring someone in of his capabilities, and his background of what he has done at Fev and internationally, is massive for us.
“I believe people will be talking about Dewsbury and hopefully he can give us that push that we need. It gives us competition for places as well. The players in his position need to be working hard and we’ll see where it gets us.”
March added: “He is something that we need as a team. We have got middles who have got really good workrate, and we have Dec Tomlinson who can ball-play really well as well as play big minutes. But I wanted - and they are hard to come by - a player who can run through walls for you, who can skittle people. He has got a very good offload game as well.
“If he buys into what we are doing then he will be a massive asset for me and the team going forward.”
Yei will be helping a Rams side which returned to action following a four-week break with a 20-12 victory at Workington Town on Sunday.
“The lads had been itching to get back onto the field,” March said. “I knew it was going to be tough up there and it was made even harder that we hadn’t played for four weeks but we did a professional job and stuck to the simple game plan - kick into corners, try to force errors, and take opportunities when they come and they did that.”
The win takes Dewsbury back up to fourth in League 1 at the halfway stage. And a top-four spot come the end of the season will see the Rams make the all-important Super 8s and a chance for promotion back to the Championship.
March said: “It is a tough and competitive league and one we enjoy going into battle for. Teams are going to take points off each other over the next eight to ten weeks so it is up to us when we drop points we have to get them back somewhere.
“Not many teams are going to go up to Workington and win so I believe that is points gained.
“Hopefully we can now go into the second half of the season full of confidence. The games come and thick after the Challenge Cup weekend.”
Wishing his former club Featherstone Rovers all the best in the 1895 Cup final against York at Wembley on Challenge Cup Finals Day this Saturday, March said:
“It’s going to be a great day for both sets of supporters and I wish Featherstone Rovers all the best and hopefully it can go the same way as it did in 2021 with a Rovers win.”