AS a key factor in Oldham RL Club’s determination to work closely with local community clubs and to promote their best interests in the growth of rugby league generally in the town and its environs, third-tier table-toppers and promotion-chasing Roughyeds will have opposed training sessions against any local club which fancies the idea.
NCL clubs St Anne’’s, Saddleworth and Waterhead will be to the fore of this programme, which started at Saddleworth tonight (Thursday) and which will continue at various clubs throughout the town as the season goes on.,
Mike Ford, managing director of the ambitious Roughyeds, has already spoken to the new St Anne’s chairman Paul Green and a date has been agreed for next month.
Green’s new committee, meanwhile, includes the likes of Saints’ stalwarts Chris Deakin, Glen Galbraith and Rick Badby, writes ROGER HALSTEAD.
Training at Saddleworth started at 6.30pm this evening and Oldham fans were invited to turn up and watch, prior to a clubhouse event which will take the form of an Oldham RLFC Q and A session.
Speaking on behalf of the club will be chairman Bill Quinn, managing director Mike Ford, director Haydn Walker and head coach Sean Long.
“We are playing exciting rugby and we sit on top of the league,” said the chairman. “We hope a lot of fans turn up tonight. All questions will be answered to the best of our ability.”
Cornwall come to Boundary Park on Sunday and please be reminded that the match starts at 1pm.
Long puts a lot of emphasis on defence, but only because he realises the importance of strong ‘D’ in relation to getting on top and paving the way for tries, hence three scores so far of 48-10 at Workington, 54-6 at home to Rochdale and 62-0 at Hunslet.
With scores like that, Long is more than justified in putting a lot of credence in the old argument that the right to play fast, open, touchline-to-touchline rugby has to be earned first — by strong forward play and good defence.
