Hunslet go into this week’s Betfred Championship clash at Oldham with some good and bad news. On the plus side, Mo Agoro, Ethan O’Hanlon and Mason Corbett all return, but Mackenzie Turner will be missing through injury, as will Darcy Simpson who failed an HIA (Head Injury Assessment).

The Parksiders will also be missing loan players from Doncaster and Leeds who have featured over the last few weeks having been called back to their parent clubs, but this gives a chance for the likes of Alfie Leake, Liam Carr and Eli Simpson to cement their place in the team.

“It’s an unfortunate storm to have injuries and to lose the loan players. They’ve certainly added to us over the last few weeks, but this can happen with loans. We still have a competitive squad, and some of our players that haven’t featured recently have a chance to shine. We’ll have to box clever and be proactive with our bench, it may mean swapping and changing players round during the match.” says Head Coach Kyle Trout.

Although Oldham have had off-field problems recently, they are still a top side and have won 3 of 5 games, with good wins at Midlands and Sheffield over the last fortnight.

“There’s no doom and gloom in our changing room. It’s an opportunity to get a win, there’s zero pressure. They’ve been big spenders over the last few seasons and can create from anywhere, but we’ve pinpointed their weaknesses. We’re still confident even after recent defeats, we’re scoring good tries. Charlie Graham and Myles Harrop are a real threat, Eddie Battye has been our best player and Harrison Gilmore, at only 21, has shown real maturity and skill.”

Arguably, Hunslet gifted Barrow most of their tries last week with mistakes or overconfident plays, but this is something Trout feels the players will learn from.

“The short kick-off before half-time was not needed, we were well in the game with the break coming up. We need to read the game and not panic. The lads are confident and want the ball, which is good, but be aware when to do it. Hopefully, fans have seen what a threat we are this season. If we go at teams from the off, we can score tries. We need to be cleverer near the line, but we have some real pace.”

Jimmy Watson returns to the squad this week, adding some valuable experience

“You can always rely on Jimmy as a big voice on the pitch. With Mo Agoro, Ethan O’Hanlon and Mason Corbett back in, we have some quality players, and hopefully a good following at Stalybridge will get behind the boys.”

Squad