WITH the days flying by to our first run-out of 2022 against Wakefield Trinity in a friendly at the Vestacare Stadium on Saturday evening (6pm kick-off), here’s a reminder of the squad we currently have in place.
BACKS: Joe Hartley, Ben Holcroft, Tommy Brierley, David Hewitt, Will Cooke, Martyn Ridyard (club captain), Calvin Wellington, Owen Restall, Kian Morgan, Liam Copland.
FORWARDS: Brad Jinks, Luke Nelmes (vice-capt), Callum Cameron, Jack Coventry, Tom Grierson, David Mills, Jason Muranka, Jordan Andrade, Sean Slater, Ryan Wright, Dominic Newton, Tom Spencer, Emmerson Whittel, James Thornton, Jamie Pye, Ethan Ferry.
That’s ten backs and 16 forwards, but it needs to be noted that Brad Jinks and Sean Slater, both named in the forwards, are equally at home in the halves and at hooker.
Squad numbers will be released by head coach Stuart Littler and his assistant, Brendan Sheridan, on Thursday this week (January 20) at our season’s launch in the Oldham Event Centre, Boundary Park, starting at 8pm.
Admission is FREE, the bar will be open, and we anticipate a great night when fans and the new-look squad will meet up for the first time and set the mood for all that’s to come in the next few months.
Of the 26 players under contract, only six were with us last year so there will be lots of ‘getting to know you’ going on as we look forward to Saturday evening, Wakefield’s visit and our first taste of rugby for quite a while.
Stuart Littler intends to use all his available players on our return to the Vestacare for the first time since we beat Newcastle Thunder there in the 2019 Promotion Final.
The game will be preparation for the following weekend’s Betfred Challenge Cup second-round tie against a strong Lock Lane amateur side from Castleford, which will also take place at the Vestacare over the weekend of January 29 and 30.
The exact date and kick-off time are still not finalised, but Roughyeds are liaising with both Lock Lane and the RFL to reach a conclusion which will be announced as soon as details are confirmed.
There will be six ties in round three over the weekend of February 12 and 13 before Betfred Championship clubs enter the competition at the fourth round stage on Feb 26 and 27.
Lock Lane, from the premier division of the National Conference League, have an impressive record in the Challenge Cup and they are sure to come to Oldham in high spirits, with all guns blazing and quietly confident that they can become the first community club ever to lower our colours.
