WITH the club’s focus very much on Sunday’s important clash with West Wales Raiders at the Vestacare Stadium, Roughyeds can announce they have signed TWO young hookers to follow up the club’s signing of talented teenage half-back Logan Astley from Wigan Warriors.
Also from the Warriors comes 18-year-old Tom Forber, highly rated like Astley, while from the other direction comes 23-year-old Billy Yarrow from Dewsbury Celtic.
Both are hookers, Forber coming in initially on a two-week loan, like Astley, while Yarrow has signed initially on trial. He comes highly recommended by his coach at Celtic, Paul Heaton; by our assistant coach Brendan Sheridan, who knows him well; and by our second-row forward Ethan Ferry, who also has first-hand knowledge of Yarrow the man and Yarrow the player.
All three new boys have trained with the Oldham squad and all three are said to be in contention for Sunday’s squad to face the Welshmen.
Explaining the rationale behind the recruitment of Forber and Yarrow, our head coach Stu Littler said:
“We started off with three hookers, Ryan Wright, Brad Jinks and Sean Slater, but currently we only have Ryan available because of Sean’s knee injury and Brad’s groin damage.
“Brad and Sean can also play half-back, so the injuries affect us in the halves too and that’s why Logan Astley has come in.
“The arrangement suits both clubs and we thank Wigan for putting their faith in us to look after their bright, young lads, just as we thank Paul Heaton and all the people at Dewsbury Celtic for their assistance with the Billy Yarrow signing.
“Tom Forber and Logan Astley are on the way up at Wigan, no doubt about that, and Tom (who comes from Warrington) won a man-of-the-match award the other night while playing for Wigan reserves against Bradford.
“As for Billy Yarrow, he has already impressed us in training and Shez (Sheridan) knows him well. Shez and I have said all along that we are here for the long haul.
“Where we want to go with Oldham won’t happen overnight. We want good players, of course we do, but we also need good people and very often the two go hand in hand.
“Whether we are getting new players for two weeks, for two years or even longer, I want them all to enjoy themselves at Oldham.”
Fans attending Sunday’s game are reminded that under-16s go FREE and students (with ID) for only £4. ALL adults, men and women, and all concessions, will receive a FREE draw ticket for three large Easter eggs and a spa day with afternoon tea, while our popular mascot Roary will hand out mini eggs to juniors.
Turnstiles open at 1pm, in time for fans to take a look at the stars of tomorrow when Leigh Miners under-10s take on Saddleworth under-10s and Limehurst Lions under-10s play opponents who are still to be named.
