Leeds Rhinos legend leaves coaching role with 'scary' future ahead

Leeds Rhinos and Sheffield Eagles legend Keith Senior has confirmed he has 'moved on' from his coaching role with the Championship club.

The Eagles missed out on the Championship play-off positions after a shock 28-6 defeat at bottom-placed side Dewsbury Rams last Sunday. In fact, the South Yorkshire club won just one of their last eight games and missed out on the top six on points difference to Featherstone Rovers.

Based at Olympic Legacy Park, Sheffield have endured a tough and uncertain time of late and opted to suspend Mark Aston from his role as head coach back in July, pending the outcome of an RFL tribunal. Senior, meanwhile, paid tribute to Aston, whom he played with in the club's famous Challenge Cup final victory over Wigan Warriors 26 years ago.

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Senior spent six seasons with Sheffield after debuting in 1994-95 before moving to the Rhinos. He also played for Great Britain and Yorkshire and made over 500 career appearances. After retiring in 2011, he went straight into coaching with the Eagles as an assistant, with that time now coming to an end.

"I am going through mixed emotions as I write this, as it's my time to move on from my coaching role at Sheffield Eagles RLFC," Senior posted on LinkedIn. "The club has been a major part of my life from being a teenage kid and making my professional debut back in 1994 to the last 10 years as a coach.

"As with anything, there have been some massive highs and terrible lows, from moving from stadium to stadium trying to find a home to turning up one pre-season with 12-14 players to the highs of beating a Super League team in the play-offs and winning the 1895 trophy at Wembley. This is life and sport, and it has to come to an end at some point, now is my time."

Senior, who revealed he is still to come to a decision on what the future holds, continued: "What's next? That is the big question; I do not know. But what I do know is that it is scary, daunting, exciting, and a whole host of emotions, but we face these challenges head-on, and luckily I have a superb support network around me; you know who you are.

"So a big thank you to the club, fans, backroom staff, and the players that have come through them changing room doors over the years. I hope I have left a mark and didn't scare you too much with my happy face.

"Most of all, I would like to thank Mark Aston for giving me the opportunity all those years ago, when I was dealing with retirement and stuck in a hole at the time. The chance to test myself challenged me, excited me, gave me sleepless nights, but gave me a new purpose, so I'm forever grateful. But for now, it's about looking for new adventures and challenges. That is the exciting part. Over and out."

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