York RLFC has confirmed that forward Oli Field will remain with the club until the end of the 2025 season, thanks to the support of SquadBuilder. Field, sponsored by Building Addiction, originally joined the Knights on a one-month loan from Leeds Rhinos in March 2023. His impressive performance during this period earned him a two-year contract in May of the same year.
A Key Player for the Knights
In his debut season with York RLFC, Field scored seven tries in 26 appearances, more than any other forward that season. So far, in the 2024 season, he has already contributed six tries. This remarkable performance has solidified his role as a crucial player for the team.
Leadership and Growth
Chairman Clint Goodchild expressed his enthusiasm about Field’s re-signing: “Oli Field is an emerging talent who I believe has his best rugby ahead of him. As he grows into a leader in the group, he will continue to develop himself and those around him. It’s great to have a local lad continue his professional career here at his home club.”
Field himself is excited about his future with the Knights, reflecting on his growth since joining the team: “I think I’ve found my home here. I loved my time at my previous club Leeds, but I didn’t feel really part of a team. Joining York has given me the opportunity to play week in and week out for the last year or so now. It’s something that I’ve really enjoyed and I think I’ve grown as a person and as a player as well.”
Team Spirit and Personal Development
Field highlighted the strong camaraderie within the team, which he finds unique: “There’s a really good group here. As a team, we’re a really close-knit bunch, and everyone’s really good mates with each other. I think you don’t get that at a lot of clubs. The club as a whole is really family-orientated, and I think that as a team, together we’ve got a chance to do something really special over the next couple of years, which has driven my decision to re-sign.”
Field is keen to keep growing his physicality and has set personal goals for his development: “In my age group, it’s going to be a crucial year for development. The game time has gotten me first team experience which can take a while to get used to. The Championship is a great standard now; I’ve definitely come on in my physicality because of that, and I’d like to see where it could go over the next year or so as well.”
Overcoming Challenges
Despite facing a challenging mid-season with illness that kept him off the pitch for several weeks, Field is determined to finish the season strong: “I’ve had a bit of a bumpy year with illness and missed six or seven weeks through the middle of the year and just starting to feel like I’m getting close to where I was before now. Obviously, it’s important for me to get a good run towards the end of the year now and keep my spot in the team.”
Field also acknowledges his evolving role within the team: “I’ve been here over a year now, and you have lads coming in from everywhere. I’m probably not considered a young lad anymore, so I probably have to take a bit of a step up on the leadership front. I obviously need to get my own performance sorted first and make sure I’m playing well, and off the back of that, take a bit of a leadership role and start to help the lads that are coming through as well and teach them things that I’ve learned.”
Looking Ahead
Field is optimistic about the future with the Knights, aiming to build off a strong end to the current season: “We can build off a strong end to the season—first and foremost we wanna finish this year really well, and I think once we do that, we’ve given ourselves a platform for next year to kick on a little bit. To have a full pre-season under Mash (Mark Applegarth), we’ll develop as a team even further, and we’ll be pushing towards that top end of the Championship.”
Reflecting on his time with the Knights, Field shared some highlights: “Bradford away last year was a really good win. We had a bit of a depleted side, and then Batley at home where Liam kicked a drop goal in the last few minutes was great. A couple of moments there from the end of last year which I think we can take confidence from. It’s not the exact same squad, but the core group of players is still there, and I think we can take a bit of confidence from that and hopefully we can piece together some other moments towards the end of this year as well.”
With Field’s commitment and the supportive environment at York RLFC, the future looks promising for both the player and the team.
