Championship stalwart Liam Kirk has landed himself a new club ahead of 2026, joining Batley Bulldogs from Midlands Hurricanes.
Kirk spent the back end of the 2025 campaign in League 1 with Midlands having joined them midway through the year from Widnes Vikings.
Set to turn 29 in March, the prop featured eight times for the Hurricanes, with that just the second time in his career he had dropped into the third tier – also playing in League 1 for Bradford back in 2018.
A product of the Bulls’ youth system, Kirk made his debut for them in the Championship Shield back in September 2016, and the bulk of his career to date has been spent in the second tier.
Batley will become the fifth club he has represented at Championship level – following on from Bradford, Oldham, Sheffield Eagles and Widnes Vikings.
Championship stalwart lands new club for 2026 as recruitment drive continues
A Drighligton ARLFC junior, Kirk has 184 senior appearances on his CV, with ten tries scored. 18 of those games came in 2025 between Widnes and Midlands.
Next year, he will form part of Batley’s squad in 21-team division, with the Championship and League 1 set to merge. Full details of that merger, including the name of the newly-formed bumper competition, are still to be confirmed by the RFL.
The Bulldogs announced his signing via social media earlier this week, with Kirk delivering a message to the club’s supporters upon his arrival.
? A message from Liam Kirk… ‘Up them doggies!’.#BULLDOGS pic.twitter.com/cC2WLYrEbL
— Batley Bulldogs RLFC (@BatleyRLFC) November 14, 2025
He said: “Hi Batley fans, it’s Kirky here.
“I’m really excited to be on board for 2026.
“I’ll hopefully see you down at the Mount.
“Up them doggies!”
The 28-year-old, who hails from Leeds, is the latest in a long line of signings made by new Batley head coach James Ford ahead of the 2026 campaign.
This week alone, the Bulldogs have announced the arrivals of Jay Scriven from Australian outfit Southern Suburbs and Kieran Brining from Bradford as well as towering forward Kirk.
Nyle Flynn and Luca Atkinson have both also put pen to paper on contract extensions this week to remain with Batley for 2026.
