William Oakes (born 27 February 1999) is a Scotland international rugby league footballer who plays on the for the Bradford Bulls in the Betfred Championship. He played for Hull Kingston Rovers in the

Super League The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...

and spent time on loan from

Hull KR Hull Kingston Rovers are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England, that competes in the Super League, the top tier of British rugby league. The club has won five league championships, and one Challeng ...

at the York City Knights in League 1 and in the Championship, as well as a loan at

Dewsbury Rams The Dewsbury Rams are a professional English rugby league club based in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire that compete in the Championship. They play their home games at the Tetley's Stadium, on Owl Lane. The Rams' main fanbase comes from their hometo ...

in the second tier.

Background

Oakes was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England.

Playing career

Early career

Oakes started playing rugby league for King Cross Park Junior R.L.F.C., at only just 6-years-old. He played at King Cross Park until he was 13-years-old. He played every position possible whilst there and he won the 'Player of the Year' and 'Players' Player of the Year' Awards six-times each. At the age of 13, Oakes decided that he wanted to step-up to the top division of the Yorkshire League and he then moved to the Eastmoor Dragons. During his time at Eastmoor he won several individual accolades including the 'Players' Player' and 'Man of Steel' Awards. He played mostly at for Eastmoor and he was the top-scorer each season he spent there. Oakes even scored 9 tries in a Yorkshire Cup quarter-final against Dewbury Moor. At 14-years-old, Oakes was scouted into the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats' Scholarship Academy, this is where he began playing on the . He 'hit the ground running' and he was selected to play at under-16's level in his first year. He scored a myriad of tries and he showed that he was an established goal-kicker. He also finished the season as top scorer and he also won the 'Players' Player of the Year' Award. In his second year with the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats' Scholarship Academy, he experienced the same success as he did in his first year and Oakes regularly scored hat-tricks. The Wakefield Trinity Wildcats' Scholarship Academy subsequently went the season unbeaten that year. This success culminated in Will Oakes being selected in the England Youth Rugby League Team, he represented England in tests against France that year. At the end of his Wakefield Trinity Wildcats' Scholarship, he was offered

full-time Full-time or Full Time may refer to: * Full-time job, employment in which a person works a minimum number of hours defined as such by their employer * Full-time mother, a woman whose work is running or managing her family's home * Full-time fat ...

professional contracts with no fewer than nine

clubs.

Senior career

Hull Kingston Rovers (2016 - 2020)

Oakes decided that he liked the vision that Hull Kingston Rovers offered him, Oakes then decided that he would join them on a first-team contract at only just the age of 16. Oakes played for the City of

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...

Academy in their inaugural year. He again showed that he was a lethal finisher and he finished the season as top points scorer, even though he missed half of the season due to international commitments. He was also called up to the Hull Kingston Rovers' first-team, where he enjoyed his début on 28 March 2016, the game against the Wigan Warriors ended in a 16-30 defeat at the DW Stadium. Oakes enjoyed his début for Hull Kingston Rovers the month after his seventeenth birthday. He was in and around the first-team several times, but this was to be his only first-grade appearance in the 2016 rugby league season. Oakes suffered relegation from the

with Hull Kingston Rovers in the 2016 season, due to losing the Million Pound Game by the Salford Red Devils. 12-months later however, Oakes was part of the Hull Kingston Rovers' side that won promotion back to the

, at the first time of asking following relegation the season prior. It was revealed on 2 May 2018, that Oakes had signed a deal to keep him at Hull Kingston Rovers, until at least the end of the 2021 rugby league season.

Dual Registration (2018)

In 2018, Oakes made multiple appearances for the York City Knights from his parent-club Hull Kingston Rovers as part of a dual registration agreement.

York City Knights (Loan)

It was announced on 23 May 2019, that Oakes had joined the York City Knights on a one month loan deal with fellow Hull Kingston Rovers' teammate,

Taioalo Vaivai Taioalo "Junior" Vaivai (born 18 January 1990) is a Professional Rugby League player. He is also a United States international who plays as a for Toulouse Olympique in the English Super League. He has previously played for the Penrith Panthers ...

Dewsbury Rams

On 6 November 2020 it was announced that Oakes would join the

on a permanent 1-year deal.

York City Knights

On 21 October 2021 it was reported that he had signed for York City Knights in the

RFL Championship The Championship, known as the Betfred Championship for sponsorship reasons, is a professional rugby league competition. It is the Rugby Football League Championship Second Division, second-tier competition organised by the Rugby Football Lea ...

Bradford Bulls

On 27 September 2023 it was reported that he had signed for Bradford Bulls in the

Representative career

England Academy (2016)

Oakes was selected as the youngest member of the England Academy squad that toured Australia in 2016, he represented them at test-level on this tour.

Scotland (2017 - present)

He made his Scotland International début during the

2017 Rugby League World Cup The 2017 Rugby League World Cup was the fifteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup tournament and took place in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea between 27 October and 2 December 2017. The tournament featured the national teams ...

against Tonga on 29 October 2017, the Bravehearts lost the game 50-4.

References

External links

Hull KR profile2017 RLWC profileSL profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oakes, Will 1999 births Living people Bradford Bulls players Dewsbury Rams players English people of Scottish descent English rugby league players Hull Kingston Rovers players Rugby league fullbacks Rugby league players from Halifax, West Yorkshire Rugby league wingers Scotland national rugby league team players York City Knights players