2025 DEPARTURE LIST

Canes say goodbye to eight players following conclusion of 2025 season

In addition to all the new signings and retention announcements made by the club throughout the 2025 season, the Midlands Hurricanes have had a busy off-season with no fewer than 11 announcements and seven of these coming in the form of new signings. We have at least one more new signing to reveal to you in the coming weeks and - as can be seen towards the end of this article - the potential for up to five more retention announcements.

However, as with all clubs there will be players who move on following the end of a league campaign and the Canes are no different. We can therefore confirm that the following eight players will be departing the club following the conclusion of the 2025 Betfred League One season:

Aaron Willis (2024 - 2025)

As confirmed by both clubs last month, 2023 and 2025 Young Player of the Year Aaron Willis will depart the Midlands Hurricanes to join fellow Championship side Swinton Lions ahead of the 2026 season.

Aaron first joined the Canes in 2023 on loan from Super League side Castleford Tigers, where he made an immediate impression over 14 league appearances that saw him bag his first Young Player of the Year award at just 19. He would go on to sign a two-year deal with the Canes before the start of the 2024 season, where he would regularly feature at second row alongside fellow youngster Tom Wilkinson. Forming part of the squad that would see the Hurricanes reach the Betfred League One Playoffs for the first time in its history, Aaron would make 40 appearances for the club over

After a lot of soul searching and discussions with Head Coach Mark Dunning about his future, Aaron departs the club having made 54 appearances and scoring eight tries during his two and a half years with the club.

Marcus Green (2024 - 2025)

Following discussions with Mark, we can confirm that Marcus Green will depart the club to take up an opportunity with another team in the Betfred Championship for the 2026 season.

After a brief stint on loan with the Canes in 2022, the then 20-year old Marcus joined the Canes ahead of the 2024 season and would be routinely selected for the Canes bench where is natural size and power would compliment the efforts of our starting forwards. Whilst he never crossed the whitewash for the club, he would make 37 appearances across two seasons before signing on loan for Championship side Sheffield Eagles in a deal that would see Sheffield’s Lewis Peachey go the other way.

Ellis Hobson (2023 - 2025)

Ellis, 21, first joined the Canes from Super League side Wigan Warriors’ reserve side as one of Mark Dunning’s first signings after becoming Head Coach initially until the end of the 2024 season. He would make six appearances during the 2023 season and 15 during the 2024 campaign, switching from a primarily bench player to a starting loose forward/second rower.

He would sign a contract extension with the club for the 2025 season, which would see him make a further 12 appearances for the Canes and bring his final tally to 33 competitive games. After scoring his first ever try for the club during a pre-season friendly with Batley Bulldogs in January, Ellis discovered his try-scoring form as he would go on to score his first professional try during our 46-0 Challenge Cup win over Siddal and four tries overall across all competitions (including back-to-back scores against Whitehaven and Swinton).

Jake Sweeting (2023 - 2025)

Having recently become a father, Jake has decided it is time for him to take a step away from professional rugby league for now as he adjusts to a new, challenging and ultimately wonderful change in his personal life.

Sweets first joined the Canes in the final rounds of the 2023 season on loan from Keighley Cougars as he helped the club secure away wins over London Skolars and Oldham. He would go on to sign permanently for the Canes for the 2024 season and would pair up with ex-Castleford half-back partner Callum McLelland for large parts of that season, which would see the then 24-year old secure the club’s record for most points scored in a match (28) during our 6-72 demolition of Cornwall in April 2024. His renowned kicking prowess would also be crucial in the side securing its first ever playoff victory during our 24-22 Elimination Playoff clash with Workington Town.

Whilst injuries would impact how regularly he featured for the club, he would go on to make 28 appearances, scoring nine tries and kicking 86 goals to become the club’s third highest points scorer (behind Hayden Freeman and Ben Stead).

Matty Hanley (2025)

The former Huddersfield Giants academy player signed for the Canes at the start of the season on an initial one year deal and made his debut during the Canes 46-0 win over Siddal in the Second Round of the Challenge Cup. Regularly competing for a place on the wing or in the centres, Matty went on to make 13 appearances for the club, scoring seven tries including an impressive brace against Whitehaven in the First Preliminary Round of the 1895 Cup.

After speaking with Matty about his plans for 2026 and being informed he has plans to travel to Australia next year, the club have no intention of trying to stand in the way of the 19-year old’s plans and wish him nothing but the best for his plans down under.

Liam Kirk (2025)

The former Bradford, Oldham, Sheffield and Widnes prop joined the Canes mid-way through the 2025 season on a deal until the end of the season with a club option to extend this until 2026. He made his debut during our 14-4 away loss to eventual League One champions North Wales Crusaders and would go on to make eight appearances for the club.

Following discussions with Liam and becoming aware that he had received an offer from a fellow Championship club, the club have agreed not to exercise its option so Liam can pursue opportunities elsewhere.

Brad Billsborough (2024, 2025)

The former North Wales Crusaders player and German international joined the Canes in 2024, where he featured five times and scored two tries before suffering a season-ending injury against Workington Town at Derwent Park. After recovering following surgery, Brad re-signed for the Canes mid-way through the 2025 season and made an immediate impact with a game-winning performance against Rochdale Hornets. The curse of Derwent Park would strike just one week later however as Brad would suffer a another season-ending knee injury. We wish Brad the best with his recovery.

Courage Mkuhlani (2024 - 2025)

The former Castleford Tigers youngster made his professional debut for the Canes on loan during the middle of the 2023 season, where he would go on to make two appearances against Oldham and Doncaster at just 19 years old. Mark would go on to sign Courage for the 2024 season where he would not feature for the Canes but would go out on loan to fellow League One side Cornwall where he made a further two appearances. Retained for the 2025 season whilst recovering from an injury that required surgery, Courage was unable to feature this season but regularly trained with the team to keep fit.

We would like to place on record our thanks to each of the above players for their efforts in a Canes shirt and wish them nothing but the best for the remainder of their careers or whatever comes next. Whether you play one game or one hundred games for the club, the motto still rings true: once a Cane, always a Cane.

In terms of players who have not been mentioned to date, we confirm the club is still in discussions with the following players regarding potential deals for the 2026 Championship season and beyond:
- Sam Bowring (2021 - );
- Ritchie Hawkyard (2025 - );
- Ethan Newboult (2024 - );
- Louis Beattie (2025 - ); and
- Joe Hartley (2025 - ).

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