sheddingswasus

Again picking up on health & safety, one of the grandsons had a few sessions of rugby in games at school. However, they were only allow to play touch rugby as they couldn't risk someone being injured!

You know, and this typifies the way things are now, at a recent match I was stood with my two grandsons. We were away from anyone one else stood behind the sticks waiting for the dame to start. The lads were stood about 7 - 8 yards apart and passing the ball to each other. The stewards made them stop. Said if they wanted to do that they had to go and stand at the back! Really makes you want to go and have a fun afternoon out! Sorry rant over!

Hi BR - tried to respond at weekend but there forum was playing up. If you check I said " I don't have a problem withe the French or Canadian clubs, indeed, the French Clubs could be classed as traditional areas. " My concern is the way the RFL have made the traditional areas a second tier in pursuit becoming a national sport. Whilst this is a great aim, if we don't continue to promote, support and fund traditional areas, the game will die. We now have two former giants languishing in the bottom two of the championship. Both with finance issues. If these two die, then there is a whole structure of junior clubs and leagues below that that will wither too. Without these junior clubs there is no feed to the pro game. If you look at Oldham just behind these two, look at the dying sport here too. Just on Swinton, why on earth are the RFL not in there and working publicly with the club, just as they were with Bradford, or are Swinton "expendable"! Too many mistakes made, lack of funding to development officers, mean the schools game dies off. Getting rid of the town team structures. When we played we wanted to play for the town team, hopefully your county and so on.

BR - I think the real discussion (and this is a massive debate) is that Rugby League in the heartlands has suffered due to the RFL expansion policy. it seems they would rather artificially create new clubs in random locations around the country than work with traditional areas. I don't have a problem withe the French or Canadian clubs, indeed, the French Clubs could be classed as traditional areas. I worry that the lack of effort made with the traditional clubs is having a drastic effect on the game in general. The heartlands are where the majority of clubs get their players from. If these clubs continue to decline as they are, then this impacts on the junior teams within these towns and areas. We can see this from our town as a good example. The junior set up in Oldham was immense, at one stage we had three clubs in the NCL premier league. These clubs had two or three open age teams and a youth set up behind them. In addition we had plenty of lower league teams giving a lot more players a match. Now we have three main teams struggling to get just one teams out each week, and three lower tier clubs. Interest is dying. As Oldham RLFC has struggled this has reflected on the Junior Clubs The wild expansion policy of the RFL at the expense of the heartlands has caused big problems. I haven't got answers, but truly the RFL need to invest more time and resource and sorting the problems in the heartlands.

This is from the painting depicting all the Oldham International & new George from Sunday

We have eleven games remaining this season. The next four are tough, realistically we might grab 2 points against hornets. The "eights" are all against teams we should be at least equal to. Now, we all know the squad is down to bare bones and we are heavily reliant on loanees and DR players. We have had a lot of bad luck this year, rub of the green has gone against us more than with us, a terrible run of injuries, the Dewsbury game cancelled when they were going through their horrendous patch and so on. Results have been hard to come by all season how much of this is down to our rigid set play of five drives & a kick and the constant turning the ball inside I wouldn't like to say, but it is definitely a contributory factor. Bradford used this play, but had a massive team packed with a lot of power pace & skill. Crucially they had top quality half backs & hookers. The only time we have looked anything like fluid with a different game plan is when Alan Hunts took temporary charge. Coincidence, good luck or a different game plan? Given we have 11 games to pull this round and all against the teams around us, is it time to look at letting AH take the reins? Just a final point, is all this very convenient for the club to move back to Whitebank next season?

Doesn't look good this. Bradford beaten us, Dewsbury beating Toulouse, Swinton beating Halifax

MR - The website has been completely over hauled and will be re-launched shortly.

Rugby Oldham, the local club's supporters' trust, held their Annual General Meeting last Thursday, June 15th, at the Royal Oak, in town. The organisation's annual accounts were presented, as usual, and they showed the trust to be in a healthy financial position, and membership of the trust's management board was also confirmed. After the usual business of an AGM had been conducted, the Chair, Mike Kivlin, summarised the trust's ongoing activities over the previous year in its work in supporting rugby league at all levels in Oldham, and in particular he commented on the growing positive relationship between the trust and the town's professional club. Members present also took the opportunity to put forward suggestions as to how the trust might go forward in the future.

Hi Just a reminder for those who may wish to attend, the AGM for Rugby Oldham takes place tonight at the Royal Oak at Rhodes Bank (Next door to the Chronicle Office) It is in the room upstairs All are welcome See you there.

All - and probably one for Dave Naylor Does anyone know if the parking pass paid for with our season ticket is valid for Sundays game?

There are some great aerial shots in the "Watersheddings Memories" book

Now the domestic season is completed do you think the"big signing" will be announced?

We have been asked to help make people aware of this. I'm afraid I am not on Twitter so can't post it there, but sounds fun to join in Hi all, Just a quick line about National Sporting Heritage Day, which takes place this Friday, 30th September. We’re going to put out some tweets and FB posts encouraging people to share their special RL heritage memories. This could be a picture of someone at their first game, a photo of a heritage item they’ve got, a memory that is important to them, their first or favourite match, a bit of memorable footage etc. Whatever it is, just something to connect with the heritage of the game. I was hoping that you could help the cause, by retweeting, encouraging your followers to put stuff out, having some memories of our own ready to go on Friday. Any help would be appreciated, it’s a great chance to show off the sport’s amazing heritage! We’ll be using #NSHD2016 and #RLheritage. Tony Collins has very kindly agreed to do a Live Q&A on RL history via social media at 1pm on Friday! We’ll publicise that too. Many thanks for any support you can give! Best wishes, Brigid Brigid Power Rugby League Cares Heritage Programme Manager

We have been asked to help make people aware of this. I'm afraid I am not on Twitter so can't post it there, but sounds fun to join in Hi all, Just a quick line about National Sporting Heritage Day, which takes place this Friday, 30th September. We’re going to put out some tweets and FB posts encouraging people to share their special RL heritage memories. This could be a picture of someone at their first game, a photo of a heritage item they’ve got, a memory that is important to them, their first or favourite match, a bit of memorable footage etc. Whatever it is, just something to connect with the heritage of the game. I was hoping that you could help the cause, by retweeting, encouraging your followers to put stuff out, having some memories of our own ready to go on Friday. Any help would be appreciated, it’s a great chance to show off the sport’s amazing heritage! We’ll be using #NSHD2016 and #RLheritage. Tony Collins has very kindly agreed to do a Live Q&A on RL history via social media at 1pm on Friday! We’ll publicise that too. Many thanks for any support you can give! Best wishes, Brigid Brigid Power Rugby League Cares Heritage Programme Manager