OUTSIDE back Joe Hartley, who has had three seasons with Roughyeds, has signed for Rochdale Hornets.
The former Oldham St Anne’s wing or centre, aged 25, was one of FOURTEEN Oldham players previously announced as leaving the club, most of them when their contracts expire on November 30. Hartley’s capture by Hornets is confirmed in a story on the Hornets website.
The other 13 players leaving us are Patrick Ah Van, Sam Bardsley, Jack Blagbrough, Connor Carr, Liam Copland, Gregg McNally, Deane Meadows, Luke Nelmes, Dom Newton, Lewis Sheridan, Sean Slater, club captain Martyn Ridyard and James Thornton.
Carr, the young centre, is the exception to the rule, given that he was on a season-long loan from Huddersfield Giants which has now finished.
Emmerson Whittel is half-way through a two-year agreement and others already signed for next season, or beyond, are prop Josh Johnson, half-back Jamie Ellis, centre Jordan Turner and forward Joe Wardle.
With 14 going, there will have to be a good number of other players signed and the club will make announcements when deals are completed and the time is appropriate.
The board has still to announce a new head coach and a No 2 although it has been said that Brendan Sheridan could well figure in a coaching team that will also include Turner and Wardle with Turner helping to mentor the backs and Wardle doing similar work with the forwards.
Both new guys have said, however, that first and foremost they will be at the club as players.
“I still have a lot left in me,”
said Oldham-born Turner
Meanwhile, all League One eyes this weekend will be on Sunday’s only game of the day, the Promotion Final featuring Doncaster and North Wales Crusaders at the Eco-Power Stadium, kick-off 3pm.
Crusaders , who finished sixth and just squeezed into the final play-off spot, are rank outsiders, but so they were when winning at Workington, at Oldham and at Hunslet in previous ‘winner takes all’ knock-out games.
Said player-coach and loose-forward Carl Forster:
“We’ve had nothing to lose right through our play-off run and that’s the attitude with which we’ll go to Doncaster. Two weeks ago, no-one would have given us a chance of reaching the final, but here we are.”
