MIDLANDS HURRICANES chief executive Alan Robinson has said the club will be in safe hands for the next couple of months in the absence of its head coach Richard Squires.
The club, and the RFL announced last week that Squires had been found guilty of breaching the RFL’s Operational Rules regarding betting on the sport. He has been suspended from all Rugby League activity for three months, with one month suspended until the end of 2023, meaning he will be eligible to return on July 9.
In his absence, assistant coach Dave Scott will look after team affairs, supported by senior members of the Hurricanes’ squad.
“We’re quite lucky that we have an experienced group of leaders within the team,” said Robinson.
“Dave has a wealth of experience both as a player and as a coach. He’s been involved with us for a couple of years now and adds a lot to us both on and off the field. So he’ll be stepping up in the interim and supported by a strong group of leaders including the likes of Liam Welham and Benn Hardcastle.
“Two months is a manageable amount of time for this. We’re a very close-knit group and we’re confident we can continue with the positive start we’ve made to the season, while continuing to be behind Rich and helping him through this period.”
A club statement on the suspension read: “Both the club and Richard have been fully cooperative with the RFL over recent weeks in concluding their investigation and Richard admitted full guilt and accountability for his actions during this process.
“Richard has expressed his utmost apologies for any disrepute that has been brought upon the club, the RFL or the game of Rugby League and, although he cannot erase his historic mistakes, he takes full responsibility for them.
“Richard is a huge part of the club’s history, progression and future and as a club we will continue to support him through this process and time away from the game before his return to the club.”
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ROCHDALE HORNETS have made three big signings last week on the eve of Sunday’s huge clash against Keighley Cougars.
Already a force out wide, the Hornets added even more fire power to their ranks with the permanent signing of winger Rob Worrincy as well as the loan arrivals fullback Phoenix Laulu-Togaga’e and former Super League back Jy Hitchcox.
36-year-old Worrincy announced his retirement from the game at the end of last season after an 18-year career that saw him play for Castleford Tigers and Dewsbury Rams between numerous spells with both Sheffield Eagles and Halifax.
It was while he was with Halifax that he worked with Hornets head coach Matt Calland and won the Championship Grand Final in 2010.
Laulu-Togaga’e and Hitchcox come in on initial two-week loan deals from Hull KR and Leigh Centurions respectively.
Hornets Chairman Andy Mazey couldn’t be happier with the latest new faces.
“Rob is a Championship legend and only last year was still scoring tries in that competition for Sheffield,” said Mazey.
“Matt has worked with him before and he’s in tremendous shape, having recently represented GB Police Rugby League. So, when the option of signing a player of Rob’s calibre came up, we moved quickly.
“Phoenix is an exciting, young, full-time player who amassed a selection of highlight-reel performances, in League One last year, and has since been developing in a quality full-time environment at Hull KR.
“Matt has been keen to strengthen his backline options and you only need to look at Jy’s try-scoring record, in Super League and the top end of Championship, to appreciate how big this coup is for Hornets.”
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NORTH WALES CRUSADERS favourite Jono Smith admits he would love to bow out on a high with the club this year.
After a lengthy injury lay-off, Smith returned to the side in April for what looks set to be his last season as a player.
He knows that helping the club go one better this season and securing a place in the Championship would be the perfect way to hang up his boots.
“We fell just short in the end last season but we did put a really good run together after a difficult start,” said Smith.
“It’s never nice being on the sidelines watching on, especially when the team is flying. You want to be part of that success but sometimes you feel like you’re on the outer when you’re not involved, so last year was hard for me.
“But we’ve started strongly again this year and, if I can be part of going one better this time, it would be great. The aim is to achieve promotion.
“There is more belief in us this season that we actually belong up near the top of the division. Last season some people always seemed to have us as the underdogs, but now, we and others do believe that we should be up there fighting for promotion.
“It will be a very close season, and probably over half of the division will think they’ve got a chance of going up, so it will be exciting.
“I’ve had two promotions in my career before and it would be nice to bow out on a third.”
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SWINTON LIONS coach Allan Coleman is happy with the level of competition for places in his backline.
In the recent victory over London Skolars, Dan Abram started in at fullback with Ben Heyes on the wing, but during the second half they switched roles and Coleman was happy to see that they continued to do the job on the field.
“Ben has been training really well and he’d get in most teams in this division,” said Coleman.
“Dan has been really good for us too, so there is good competition there.
“I had told Ben he was going to play against London and that he was going to be starting at fullback, but then Richard Lepori pulled out on the Saturday morning. Ben being Ben, and a team player, he said he’d go on the wing to start.
“I spoke to Dan and he was the same and was willing to swap as the game went on. They both looked good at fullback and they both looked good on the wing, which was great to see.
“There are still a few areas where we need more competition, but I’m quite happy with what we’ve got there. We’ve got Jayden Hatton and Richard Lepori to come back in too.
“We also had Liam Forsyth out there again, which was really pleasing to see. Defensively he was brilliant on that right edge, in what was only his second game in two years due to injury.”
Competition has been added in the hooking role with the loan signing of George Roby from Huddersfield Giants.
“Huddersfield rate George very highly,” added Coleman.
“It’s great that we’ve got the deal done and George will bring toughness and pace to our middle.”
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OLDHAM have boosted their pack with a hat-trick of new deals.
Dane Windrow, who has initially brought in on a two-week loan from Wakefield, has seen that deal extended until the end of the season, while coach Stuart Littler has also brought in 24-year-old Nyle Flynn on a similar deal from Batley Bulldogs.
Both loan deals include a 48-hour call-back clause, should their parent clubs require them back.
The third deal has seen hooker Billy Yarrow, who has impressed while on trial with the Roughyeds, sign a permanent contract until to the end of the season.
“We are really pleased to have Dane with us for this longer spell,” said Littler.
“He’s a young, up-and-coming Super League forward, whose future in the game stretches out ahead of him.
“At the age of 19, he just needs time and opportunity to develop and we are delighted to offer him that opportunity. He needs a platform on which to play regularly in readiness for Super League and we are more than pleased to provide him with that.
“Nyle had a great season for Batley last year before picking up an injury, from which he is now fighting his way back. Batley needed him to have some game time now he is fully fit again and that’s the only reason they’ve let him come to us.
“Batley want to get him back into their squad, but they know he needs game time first and that’s how and why he has come to us.
“Billy is like a breath of fresh air. His enthusiasm is second to none. He came to us from Dewsbury Celtic on trial forms and he has grasped his opportunity with both hands.
“I’m delighted to work with Billy in order to progress the opportunities that lie ahead of him and I’m certainly excited about his prospects and about his future at Oldham.”
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CORNWALL added two new faces to their squad ahead of Sunday’s bottom-of-the-table clash with West Wales Raiders.
Young Hull KR halfback Adam Rusling, and Dewsbury Rams prop forward Jackson Walker have both joined the Choughs on initial two-week loan deals.
18-year-old Rusling made his Super League debut in 2021 for his previous club Castleford Tigers, while Walker will add cover for some of the injuries the club has suffered in recent weeks.
“Adam is one of those young kids that is going to have a lot of responsibility thrown at him as we have been missing a recognised halfback at times this season,” said coach Neil Kelly.
“Super League is a difficult level of football to break into, so for him to play at that level and then secure a move to Hull Kingston Rovers from Castleford would lead me to say that Adam has a fantastic pedigree.
“It’s massive for us to have a player like Adam in our side and he will add another dimension.
“I know Dewsbury very well and I regularly speak to their coach Lee Greenwood. Jackson comes highly recommended by Lee and, as a middle, he adds strength to an area where we have been effective so far this season.
“However, the injuries we have suffered to middles have led to us not having enough players for those positions. You can never have enough middles and I think Jackson will be another player off the production line that is tough and can do a job in that area.”
Meanwhile, Louis Collinson’s loan deal from Batley Bulldogs has been extended, and the forward will now stay at the club until the end of the League One season.
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WEST WALES RAIDERS have re-signed Keenan Dyer-Dixon on a second loan spell, with Kian Fisher also making the move from Keighley Cougars.
The duo have linked up with Ashley Bateman’s squad for the remainder of the season, with the Cougars holding a 24-hour recall option, following the initial 14-day period of the deal, should they be required to return at any point.
Dyer-Dixon previously spent two weeks with the Raiders at the end of April, featuring in the 84-4 defeat to North Wales Crusaders.
Fisher is a new face though and will be looking to use this move to gain valuable first-team experience after stepping up from the amateur game this year to sign for Keighley.
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LONDON SKOLARS‘ working relationship with their city neighbours is still going strong according to coach Joe Mbu.
Despite London’s Broncos’ own difficulties this season, which have seen them pick up just the one win in the ten games prior to Friday’s visit of Newcastle, the clubs are still helping each other out when it comes to giving players much needed game time.
Skolars named Broncos quartet Judd Greenhalgh, Will Ramsey, Max Allen and Jacob Thomas in their squad to face Doncaster on Saturday.
“Whatever they are going through and whatever their circumstances, their support for us is still there, as likewise ours is for them,” said Mbu.
“As well as some of their players coming to us, some of our players are available for their under-21s side and that means we can both have good numbers available for games.
“We still have a good relationship with each other and work together as much as we can.”
Elsewhere, the club has confirmed that fullback Richard Wilkinson has been granted a release from his contract to allow him to be closer to his northern roots.
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KEIGHLEY COUGARS coach Rhys Lovegrove is delighted with the start his side has made to the season and believes it is a continuation of the work the club started to put in place last season.
The West Yorkshire side went into Sunday’s game with Rochdale with six wins from six, but Lovegrove knows there is still more to come from the club as they continue their quest for Championship rugby next season.
“We had some really good performances last year, but there was always something that we felt, philosophically, that the boys were doing wrong when it came to looking at how we wanted to play,” said Lovegrove.
“They showed some glimpses of changing this in the friendlies, but now it is great to see them finally start to develop an understanding of how we want to play.
“We’re not perfect, far from it, but it’s pleasing to see.
“It’s great to see all that hard work now coming to fruition.”
Elsewhere, the club has released Josh Slingsby from the remainder of his contract.
The winger joined the club from Wakefield Trinity ahead of the 2021 season and went on to score seven tries in ten appearances last season.
However, he is yet to make an appearance for the club this year and has already spent time out on loan with West Wales Raiders.
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HUNSLET prop Harvey Hallas earned special praise from his coach Alan Kilshaw after a strong, try-scoring performance against League One newcomers Cornwall.
The performance came after some tough conversations last year in which Kilshaw was honest about what he wanted to see form the 24-year-old.
“We had four players in the side who are over 30 – captain Duane Straugheir, Jimmy Watson, Jason Mossop and Wayne Reittie – and their experience was invaluable in a generally young team,” said Kilshaw.
“I’m very happy with several of those young players and have to pick out prop Harvey Hallas for a special mention, and as a good example for the lads who are not currently making it into the team.
“I had a few hard conversations with Harvey last year, and I had to leave him out several times and set him a few targets. But credit to him, he did everything I asked of him and the result is that he’s been in fine form this season.
“When he got on the other side of Anthony Mullally, who has plenty of Super League experience, was a prime example in what was a tough game up front.”
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DONCASTER coach Richard Horne knows his side must find form on the road if they are to keep up with the leading pack at the top of the league.
Prior to Saturday’s trip to London, the Dons had played two other games away from the Eco-Power Stadium, a defeat to Keighley in Round two and a win over West Wales Raiders at the end of April.
They are on their travels again this weekend against Rochdale Hornets before facing Hunslet at home on June 5. However they then do not return to home soil until July 31, with two byes and trips to North Wales Crusaders, Swinton Lions, Cornwall and Oldham in between.
“We know we have to be better, and we have to find consistency within our performance to find results on a regular basis,” said Horne.
“We know we haven’t got too many home games for the foreseeable future, so we’re determined to put ourselves in a good position with good away form.
“Six of our next seven games are away from home, and there are a few long journeys in there, so we have to be ready for every obstacle we face.”
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