Tyrer’s new deal a sign of thing to come

Cian Tyrer’s story is a remarkable one, several aspects of which need to be spotlighted. We all know the Leigh lad has scored more tries for Oldham in League One this season than has been scored by a single player in Super League, in the Women’s Super League, in the Championship, in League One and even in the NRL.

That alone is worthy of recognition, notwithstanding the fact that in this part of the world he is talk of the town, but his 22 tries for Roughyeds, plus one for Workington on loan (23 in total) give him a huge advantage over everyone else.

On the face of it, Cian’s is a story that has had no stumbling blocks and has seen him hit his various try-scoring milestones almost nonchalantly and with no dramas. In contrast to that, do you remember that, early this year, he was the man on the outside looking in and he only got into the side, at Hunslet in early April, because Nick Rawsthorne had gone and both Mo Agoro and Ben O’Keefe were out injured.

Cian grabbed the opportunity to score a magical SIX tries — and he never looked back, clearly gaining in confidence on a weekly basis, scoring at least one try in nearly every game and scoring his third hat-trick of the season against Hunslet last Sunday, beating defences with quick footwork and speed off the mark.

But back to the beginning. As the grandson of former Wigan and Leigh legend Colin Tyrer, and cousin of another Oldham player, Kieran Tyrer, it was I guess appropriate and natural that Cian, born in Salford, should kick off at Leigh Miners and then graduate to the Wigan Warriors youth set-up. Newcastle Thunder came next, then Rochdale where he scored 28 tries in 44 appearances and was nominated for League One’s Young Player of the Year in 2022, writes ROGER HALSTEAD.

He was at Rochdale in 2023 as well, after which he received several offers, including one from Hornets. However, he was keen to come to Oldham to join Mike Ford’s crusade and instead of signing elsewhere, or indeed staying at Rochdale, he asked Sean Long if he could come to Roughyeds of his own volition, train with the squad as a trialist and attempt to make such an impact that Longy would want to sign him.

“He backed himself to such an extent that he trained with us for no pay throughout the last pre-season. I liked his attitude. He just got on with his work and always did his best,”

said Long, when Oldham signed him in January this year for the 2024 season with the option of a contract extension. He has since signed a new deal to the end of 2025 — great news for the club an d another example of the progress Oldham are making.

Said Cian back then:

“I’m buzzing. My first objective was to get a contract and now I want to focus on establishing myself in the team every week”

It didn’t happen overnight, but he grabbed his opportunity with TEN tries in his first two outings in April this year and he has since played in every match (ten in all), scoring at least one try in every game bar one.

Comparison with the club’s most-tries-in-a-season record holder Reg Farrar is inevitable, but it’s unfair given that it’s a totally different type of sport these days; that Farrar played at a higher level and, most relevant of all, the left-wing ace of 1921-22 played in 41 games of a possible 47 to amass his best-ever49 tries,

Even if Tyrer plays in each of Oldham’s remaining games that’s only another eight so long as they are not involved with play-offs etc. He is NOT going to surpass Farrar, but I guess that will be the least of his worries so long as he finishes top of the pile in League One.