Canes announce seven departures following conclusion of 2026 season
As the 2026 domestic season draws to a close this upcoming weekend with the Super League and Championship Grand Finals taking place, news and fanfare will naturally turn to the World Cup and – after that – looking ahead to the 2027 season as we get to do it all again!
Whilst we have already announced plenty of retentions for 2027 and beyond this season and have some confirmed/ongoing deals in the pipeline to be later announced, as is the nature of sport we must also say goodbye to certain players for a mixture of personal, business and professional reasons.
We can therefore confirm that the following seven players will be departing Avery Fields following the expiry of their contracts at the end of November:
Mikey Wood (#13): 2025-2026
We are sad to announce that Mikey has made the tough decision to retire from professional rugby league at the age of 30. Mikey departs Avery Fields after making 37 appearances and scoring one try.
Mikey joined the Canes on a two-year contract at the start of the 2025 season following Swinton Lions’ relegation from the Championship. He immediately made an impact during our final season in League One, with Wood winning both the Players and Coaches Player of the Year awards at the end of that season. Keen to tie Wood down further, we were delighted to announce that Mikey had signed an extension until the end of the 2028 season last December.
Mikey went on to make a further 17 appearances for us this season – the last being our 24-62 1895 Cup Semi-Final defeat to London Broncos, before a combination of a failed head-injury assessment in that game and advice from a specialist meant his season would be cut short. Whilst we were excited to see him in a Canes shirt next year, life outside of the game has meant Mikey has cut short his time with the club.
Men’s Head Coach Mark Dunning on Mikey’s decision to retire:
It’s sad to see Mikey retire from the game. At 30 we thought he still had plenty of time left in his career, however work commitments and a pending addition to his family have lead him to the decision to call it a day.
We thank Mikey for his contribution to our club and wish him and his family all the very best going forward. He has been a great lad to coach and a great team mate and he’s well aware that he will always be welcomed back at our club.
Mikey was sponsored by MG Electrical Contractors for the 2026 season.
Zeus Silk (#16): 2025-2026
We can confirm that the man with the greatest name in rugby league will depart the Canes to take up an opportunity with another Championship club. Zeus departs the club after making 44 appearances and scoring four tries.
Like Mikey, Zeus joined the Canes at the start of the 2025 season following his release from then-relegated Dewsbury Rams. Used primarily as an impact player off the bench, he has spent the majority of this season as part of a double act with fellow “bash brother” Isaac Shaw.
Always playing like a man with a point to prove, he quickly established himself as a fan favourite, with a trademark “ZEEUUSS” ringing out every time he touched the ball. His hard running game – combined with a complete disregard for his own welfare in attack and defence – earned him back-to-back nominations for Supporters Player of the Year.
Mark Dunning on Zeus departing:
Despite the offer of a new contract, Zeus has decided to move on to a club very close to his home in Hull.
Zeus is a real character and he’s made a big impact with everyone at the Canes, however with a young family who found the travel difficult he has made what he describes as a really tough decision to move closer to home for the benefit of his family.
Zeus has been a pleasure to coach and I wish him and his family all the very best for the future.
Zeus was sponsored by This is Warrior for the 2026 season.
Kieran Moran (#17): 2020, 2023-2026
We can confirm that Scottish International Kieran will depart the club at the end of the season after four seasons and 51 appearances, in which he scored two tries.
Kieran held a unique position in the team after Bowser’s departure earlier in the season, being the last remaining player of the Canes squad from 2023 after Mark took over from former coach Rich Squires mid-way through the year. Knowing him from his days in the Scottish coaching lineup, Kieran slotted perfectly into Dunno’s plans as he sought to transform the club’s fortunes.
Affectionately known as Pumba, Kieran was a mainstay in the squad during the 2023 and 2024 seasons but found appearances harder to come by in the last two seasons against an ever-increasingly competitive pack. His last appearance came during our 56-20 defeat to Newcastle Thunder in late August.
Mark Dunning on Kieran’s departure:
Kieran is moving on and is going to take a short time out of the game to allow him to decide what direction he wants to take his career from here. He will be representing Scotland in the coming weeks and we wish him well in that.
As a long serving member of the group Kieran has played a big part in the transformation of our club and we thank him for that. He knows the clubs expectations going forward and that the door is not fully closed on a future return.
We wish him and his family all the very best going forward.
Kieran was sponsored by Toby Robins and Lizzie Gardner for the 2026 season.
Toby Warren (#20): 2026
We can confirm that Toby will depart the club at the end of this season to take up an opportunity in Super League for the 2027 season. He departs having made 27 appearances and scoring eight tries.
Toby joined the club at the start of this season on a one-year deal following an early release from his contract at Leeds Rhinos. With his previous season’s stint on loan at then-beleaguered Super League side representing a real baptism of fire, Toby saw the Canes as an opportunity to get regular competitive rugby under his belt.
Toby repaid that opportunity by earning a regular starting position at second-row, becoming known for his hard carries and his ability to regularly bust tackles to make room for creative offloads. This hard work meant he was a close contender for the 2026 Young Player of the Year award.
Whilst we did make Toby an offer to stay, Toby has expressed a desire to return to full-time rugby which is not something the Canes can offer him at the moment.
Mark on Toby departing:
Toby is leaving us for a full time offer elsewhere, and whilst we’re disappointed to lose him we fully understand his desire for a return to full time rugby.
Since Toby joined us he’s worked extremely hard to make improvements to his game in pursuit of the opportunity he has now received, and we’re not at all surprised that he has gained substantial interest from a top-tier club.
We’re thankful to him for his contributions this year and wish him all the very best going forward.
Toby was sponsored by EM Workwear and Embroidery for the 2026 season.
Danny Barcoe (#25): 2023-2026
We can confirm that after three-and-a-half seasons, the creator of our winning “heads on fire” chant will depart at the end of this season. Danny leaves us after making 44 appearances and scoring 10 tries.
One of Dunno’s first signings for the club after joining part-way through 2023, Danny’s pace and ability to scoot from dummy-half was evident when he scored on his debut during our famous 10-41 win over Doncaster that season. His performances in that short spell meant it was not hard for the club to exercise their option over him for 2024.
Danny would continue to impress in Canes colours for the 2024 season and would be rewarded with the Players Player of the Year award at the end of the season, as well as a contract extension for 2025. Danny would have another strong season in tandem with fellow hooker Aiden Roden that would earn him another 12-month extension, but a severe knee injury away to Whitehaven in August of last year – combined with delays in getting surgery – meant he would not feature for the Canes in 2026.
Danny’s career in rugby league is not over however, as some eagle-eyed fans will have spotted that he has returned to his boyhood community club in Stanningley in recent weeks.
Dunno on Barcoe’s departure:
Danny decided last month to step away from the professional game to concentrate on his business outside of rugby.
He’s missed the 2026 season following his knee injury at the back end of last season but he’s remained professional and determined throughout this year.
It’s good to see Danny is back on the field with his community club and still involved and enjoying his Rugby League.
We thank him for his contributions to our club and wish him all the very best going forward.
Liam Sutcliffe (#31): 2026
We can confirm that former Grand Final winning centre Liam Sutcliffe will depart the Canes at the end of the season to take up an opportunity with another Championship club. He made six appearances and scored two tries.
The Canes pulled off something of a coup late into this season as we announced the ex-Leeds Rhinos, Hull FC and Huddersfield Giants player would join the club on a short-term deal after a torrid, injury-ridden run with Huddersfield in the previous two seasons.
Whilst he only played half a dozen games with the Canes at the business end of this year, he made regular contributions (including a first half hat-trick of assists against Keighley) and scored a brace of tries during our 98-0 league record win over North Wales Crusaders at the end of the regular season.
Dunno on Liam moving on:
Unfortunately Liam has received an offer from another Championship club that we couldn’t compete with in light of our budget and salary cap. We knew the favourable terms Liam joined us on wouldn’t last beyond this year.
Although Liam has only been with us a short while I want to thank him for his contribution to the back end of our season.
Having had a nightmare last year and subsequently leaving Huddersfield he was in need of finding his love for the game again and feeling loved again which he certainly did.
We enjoyed having him and him and his family enjoyed being a part of the games family and we wish them all the very best.
Liam was sponsored by the Midlands Hurricanes Supporters Club for the 2026 season.
Callum McLelland: 2024-2026
We can confirm that 2024 Coaches Player of the Year Callum McLelland has formally retired from professional rugby league. He departs the club after making 20 appearances and scoring five tries.
After a somewhat injury-ridden time at Leeds Rhinos and being released by Castleford Tigers in mid-2023 after injuries meant he could not make his debut, Callum almost quit professional rugby there and then. However, an opportunity from the Canes gave the Scottish International a chance to fall in love with the game again.
McLelland quickly showed fans why he had Super League credentials, wowing in the middles alongside half-back partner Jake Sweeting. Despite an initial wobble on the injury front after his debut, Callum would go on to score five tries in 15 appearances as he captained us to our first ever play-off run.
McLelland would retain the Captain’s armband into 2025, and an initial strong start would see him guide the team through their Challenge Cup and 1895 Cup runs. However, an injury sustained during training would keep him out until mid-June, and Callum would unfortunately suffer another injury just 40 minutes into his return that would bring an end to his season.
After working extremely hard in the off-season to get back to full fitness, he would tragically suffer a season-ending injury to his other knee just before the season commenced.
Dunno on Callum’s retirement:
After another knee injury and subsequent surgery Callum has taken the tough decision to retire from professional rugby and concentrate on his career.
It’s a great shame has he had worked his socks off to get himself back from his previous injury nightmares and was looking good leading in to the 26 season, before injury struck again on his opposite knee.
I want to thank Callum for his contribution to the club he was always professional and great to work with. We wish him all the very best for his future.
On behalf of all the staff and fans, we would like to thank all seven players above for their hard work and service to the Canes throughout their stay at the club. As the motto goes: Once a Cane – always a Cane, and we wish everyone nothing but the best of luck with whatever comes next for them on-and-off the field.
Fans will no doubt recognise that there are players whose contract is set to expire at the end of this season and who are not named above. Rest assured, further announcements on player retention and new signings will follow in the coming weeks as we prepare for the 2027 season.
