Hudson becomes a Knight!
- Dec 19, 2024
- 1 min read
York RLFC can confirm the signing of Kieran Hudson on a one year deal, thanks to support from Squadbuilder!
The prop joins from Castleford Tigers, the club he rejoined after being released by Leeds Rhinos at the end of the last campaign.
The 24-year old began his sporting career with a contract at AFC Sunderland as a goalkeeper, before he switched to rugby league.
The Sunderland born forward played at Newcastle Thunder and Whitehaven before he moved into a full time environment with Castleford in 2022.
He was loaned back to Whitehaven for that season, before he was ruled out of 2023 because of an achilles injury.
He moved to Leeds Rhinos for 2024, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, the Leeds legend, John Holmes.
Featuring mainly in the reserves for the Rhinos, Hudson also played one game on dual registration last year for Halifax Panthers in the Championship.
Head coach, Mark Applegarth said: "I'm really delighted we’ve got Kieran on board.
"I know hes a player Clint (Goodchild) has been tracking for a number of years.
"I first saw Kieran when he was at Leeds. He’s definitely got some impact and I’m looking forward to working with him."
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Nice little detail about his grandad being John Holmes—always cool when there’s a proper rugby league thread running through a family, even if the lad’s had to graft his own route. One game at Halifax doesn’t tell you much, but sometimes that’s all it takes to show you can handle the level. This is a bit nerdy, but the “following in footsteps” thing made me think of patterns like a simple caesar cipher guide where it’s the same structure, different shift.
Applegarth saying he saw him at Leeds and likes the “impact” is basically code for: bring energy, win collisions, do the ugly stuff. If Hudson can give York a bit more punch around the middle third, it’ll make life easier for the halves straight away. Funny enough I was tinkering with a ghibli ai style image thing last week and it’s the same idea—take a solid base and add a bit of flair.
I’m hoping York can manage his load early doors—Achilles stuff can linger if you rush it, especially for a front-rower. But the pathway he’s had (Thunder/Whitehaven/Cas/Leeds) usually builds a pretty tough player, so fingers crossed he stays on the park. Side note: his story made me think of identity switches in general—like messing about with a hairstyle ai try-on before you commit to a change.
Signing feels very “prove it” for both sides: York get a young prop with pedigree, Hudson gets a proper shot after the injury years and reserve minutes. If he can bring even 20 solid minutes of go-forward every week, that’s massive in tight games. Totally unrelated, but I kill time between fixtures playing that blockblast puzzle and it’s the same kind of grind-for-inches mentality.
That switch from being a Sunderland keeper to a rugby league prop is still wild to me—explains the athletic base though. If he stays fit, York could get a real punch through the middle, especially in the Championship grind. Weird comparison, but the “what is this actually?” vibe reminded me of a quick cipher identifier tool I’ve used when you’re trying to work out what you’re looking at.