MUCH is made of rugby league’s reputation as an M62 sport but head further north up the M6 and you will find another, often forgotten, heartland of the game.

Cumbria boasts a vibrant amateur scene, three professional clubs in Barrow, Whitehaven and Workington, and has produced plenty of talent down the years.

Take new Bulls recruit Ryan Shaw.

His father Neil was a renowned player for Barrow and many other family members have links to the club.

Shaw himself played for his hometown team on loan from Warrington in the past two seasons.

“My dad captained Barrow, so I’ve been brought up with it and seen a lot of ups and downs,” said the 22-year-old utility back.

“All my family are heavily involved in the club – last year I played there with two of my cousins and I’d say I probably have more than ten family members involved.

“You have my dad, my cousin and my half-cousin. Then there is my half-cousin’s dad who was one of the coaches as well.

“There are two other cousins, an uncle and another cousin. It’s the biggest sport in the town, so when we play I think we double the crowd with the family members!”

Cumbria has not had a presence in the top flight since Workington dropped out at the end of the inaugural Super League season.

There has often been talk of a possible merger between the county’s clubs in a bid to gain a top-flight presence but, either way, the talent keeps on coming.

Former Bulls star James Donaldson came from Wath Brow Hornets and others, like Shaw, Ben Harrison, (Warrington), Brad Singleton (Leeds), Ade Gardner and Greg Richards (both St Helens) all started at the Barrow Island amateur club.

Shaw said: “A lot of Warrington’s academy coaches, such as Gary Chambers and Chris Rudd, are Cumbrians.

“They go out of their way to find the best Cumbrian players with the likes of Ben Harrison there.

“It is a strong area for players and it can go unseen a bit at times.

“Other clubs are now seeing that and getting players on board – Will Maher has just played Super League for Castleford and Greg Richards played for St Helens in the Grand Final.

“It’s a lot better now than it was. It’s hard because you have to move away from home if you want to be at a Super League club.

“There’s not enough money to be just an academy player. I know lads who are good enough and could have signed for a Super League academy but the money you get doesn’t even cover your travel expenses as Cumbria is so far away.”

New Bulls head of youth John Bastian was instrumental in Shaw’s move south from Cumbrian to Cheshire as a 16-year-old.

Shaw said: “John’s a really good bloke. As a kid, he was pretty scary and I think he does suit the job as head of youth.

“I remember when I was brought up in the academy, everyone was scared of him. But he did some brilliant things at Warrington.”

Shaw briefly encountered Bulls coach Jimmy Lowes at Warrington and remembers his training sessions being “intense”.

He is delighted to be working under him as he seeks to earn a contract beyond the one-year deal that he has signed.

Having made two Super League appearances when on loan at London Broncos last year, Shaw is keen to return to the big time.

“This is my first permanent move away from Warrington,” added Shaw, who has had stints at Swinton, Leigh and Barrow in the Championship during his time with the Wolves.

“It’s a big step for me and I’m looking forward to it.

“I played with Matty Blythe and Ben Evans at Warrington – I used to live with Ben actually but now live with my girlfriend.

“Ben spoke well of his time at Bradford and said ‘it’s brilliant, you’ll love it’.

“I’ve only been here for a short time but they’re all nice lads and on the same wavelength.”

Shaw’s versatility should serve the Bulls well in the coming season.

He added: “I’ve played a lot of my rugby at centre but last year I also played a lot at full back. I even played half-back for Barrow but I probably played my best rugby on the wing last year.

“Centre is probably my strongest position, though, and I’ve played quite a lot of games in the Championship, so I’d say I’m pretty experienced at this level.

“It’s a little bit slower than Super League but Jimmy is classing us as a Super League team playing in the Championship for a year. Therefore we’re going to be playing like a Super League team – strong, fast and aggressive.

“We’re expecting to blow a lot of the teams in this league away – and rightly so with the squad that we’ve put together.

“I didn’t play as much as I would have liked at Warrington but I have learned quite a lot from my time there with the quality of the coaching.

“I played two Super League games for London against Widnes and Leeds, which was pretty good. I’ve had a taste and would love to get back there.”