Keighley Cougars favourite Feather in limbo as Hunslet stand firm

The long-serving Cougars favourite recently signed a one-year deal with Barry Eaton’s newly-promoted side but made a dramatic u-turn by admitting he had made a big mistake in leaving Cougar Park.

Feather, who has spent his entire career with his hometown club, has pleaded with Hunslet to cancel his contract but so far the Leeds-based outfit are holding firm.

As things stand, the 30-year-old is in limbo and is hoping intervention from the RFL will allow him a smooth return to Cougars ahead of the start of pre-season.

The hooker said: “Keighley and Hunslet both start training next week, so I was hoping it might have been resolved by then, so I could at least go back to Cougars and train.

“But I’m definitely not going back to Hunslet so I will not be there for pre-season training and there is no chance whatsoever I’ll play for them.

“I’ve made a big mistake because I couldn’t pull on another shirt other than a Keighley shirt.

“People come up to me now and say ‘I don’t know what you were doing anyway leaving Cougars’.

“I’ve been associated with the club for 23 years, so why would I leave now when I’ve only two years of my career left?

“It’s crazy and I don’t know what I was thinking at the time. I just wasn’t being myself.”

Feather remains in touch with Hunslet via email and is desperately hoping they allow him a return to his spiritual home.

The sticking point is that the Hawks are seeking monetary compensation for Feather in return for releasing him.

Hunslet coach Eaton, who used to be in charge at Cougars, said: “James signed a binding agreement with us and if wants to get out of that we need a formal approach from Keighley and some form of compensation.

“All the players we were in talks with around that time have now joined other clubs and we won’t be looking foolish and letting him walk away from a contract.”

However, Feather is not expecting Cougars to stump up any cash for him.

Feather added: “The RFL have spoken to Hunslet but they are still digging their heels in and saying ‘He’s our player’.

“Keighley have said they will have me back but under no circumstances would they ever put any money up.

“But if I’m available then yes, of course, they want me after everything I’ve done for the club and they will help me through this situation.

“I feel that’s what I need – to be around my friends and in my familiar surroundings with people who can rebuild my career and myself personally.

“The RFL said they were going to speak to Hunslet last week so I’m waiting to see what happens.

“I emailed Hunslet on Monday to give them an update, so I’m trying to be honest with them, although I’m trying to speak to them as little as possible.

“If I think about it, it starts affecting my mood at home and how I am with my missus, which I don’t want it to do.

“If it doesn’t get resolved then I’ll have to train on my own but I can’t understand why Hunslet would want to ruin my career or end it by refusing to release me.

“I think it has been blown out of proportion the type of player I am.

“I would be going back to Keighley for next to no money – the same as I was on before – and Hunslet only offered me a little bit more.

“It wasn’t mega money and certainly not enough to be making a big fuss over.

“It’s not like they would be losing out on anything and there is plenty of good young players out there who are available and could replace me.

“I know Hunslet said in their statement that there isn’t but there is.”

Feather last week said that a visit to RFL player welfare therapist uncovered issues related to his mental state which prompted him to seek a move away from Cougar Park.

Feather said: “I wouldn’t say I’m totally over it – it still feels like a weight on my back – but I’m seeing things a lot clearer now.

“The therapist spoke to me and said my head was too close to the book, so everything was blurred.

“Now I am holding the book further away, the picture seems a lot clearer about what I should have been doing.

“I had been bottling things up and beating myself up all year, so it was a difficult situation to put myself in.

“I wouldn’t say I’m depressed but it got to the point where I needed to change the world around me – or at least I thought I did.

“I understand now why good players like Sean Long have come out and said they were in a state of depression.

“If I had carried on, I might have ended up in the same way.”

Feather admitted the saga had affected his long-standing relationship with Hunslet boss Eaton, who he played under at Cougar Park.

He said: “It has put a strain on our relationship but I’ll never fall out with Barry because he’s done a lot for me in my career.

“Hopefully I did a lot to help him too in his coaching career after playing for him for five years.

“I gave everything I had for him but I think when I agreed to sign for Hunslet, I was looking for an arm around me.

“Barry was offering me a chance to go there and I thought ‘this is the right thing to do’.

“But I realised that it wasn’t, so I’ve really let him down and I know I have.

“I’ve apologised to him a thousand times for that but, if I had the choice again, I would never have left Keighley.”