THE Betfred League 1 fixtures for 2022 will be announced at 3pm tomorrow (Sunday), but we can tell you now that our first HOME game will be against Keighley Cougars on Sunday, March 27 with a 3pm kick-off.
The venue has still to be confirmed and, like all games (not just Roughyeds’ fixtures), both home club and RFL warn that it could be subject to change.
Keighley make no secret of their ambition to go all out for promotion next year and, to that end, they have appointed former London Broncos boss and Warrington Wolves No 2 Andrew Henderson as head of rugby.
Their new signings include Newcastle Thunder full-back Lewis Young, who scored 64 tries in 96 appearances for Thunder, and young stand-off Harvey Spence, who played several games for Roughyeds on loan from Featherstone at the back end of last season.
A product of Leeds Rhinos, Spence has signed a two-year contract at Cougar Park and will be keen to make a big impression in Bronte country, especially against Oldham.
The reverse applies in the cases of three of our new forwards who were an integral part of the Cougars'
squad last season, namely Jason Muranka, Jack Coventry and Ryan Wright.
They are three of 20 players we currently have on contract for 2022, most of them new signings including the latest, 21-year-old utility back Kian Morgan, from the Huddersfield area, whose capture was announced only this morning (Nov 13).
We have high hopes of Kian, who has played Academy rugby for Wakefield and Castleford, first-team rugby for Halifax, and rep rugby for England Colleges and for Yorkshire (open-age) in the BARLA county Tri-Series Championship which also featured Lancashire and Cumbria.
While Kian was finalising his move to Oldham, Lewis Charnock was saying farewell to Roughyeds and heading to Swinton Lions, who have since confirmed his capture for 2022.
It will be some game when we play the Lions, given that we have Stu Litter as coach and Martyn Ridyard as tactician-in-chief and the Lions have our former players Dan Abram, Max Roberts, Matty Wilkinson, Jack Spencer and Charnock.
We wish all our old boys the very best for the future and we thank them for their services, including former captain Gareth Owen, Danny Bridge and Phil Joy, who announced their retirements from pro rugby at the end of last season and have signed on for Waterhead ARLFC.
Don’t forget the full 2022 Oldham fixtures. You can see them here at 3pm tomorrow (Sunday)
