KEIGHLEY COUGARS legend James Feather has said promotion to the Championship at the end of this season would not only be the perfect way to end his career but would also be the best possible way of thanking the current owners for what they have done over the past few years.
Since Mick O’Neill returned to the club in 2018 alongside his son Ryan and his husband Kaue, the Cougars have been on the rise and are currently holding the automatic promotion spot at the top of the League One table.
“We almost didn’t have a club a few years ago, so if we can get promotion at the end of this year it would be the perfect way to pay Mick, Ryan and Kaue back for everything they have done. They deserve that,” Feather, who looks set on finally retiring at the end of the current campaign, said in an interview in the latest issue of Rugby League World magazine.
“That we can even be in contention for promotion is full credit to them for everything they have done to turn the club around.
“They have done a great job over the last couple of years and have made us a club that people want to come and play for and be involved with. They have got the club to not just be about the rugby. They put on a lot of entertainment on a match day and make it a great family experience. Again, that is something we’ve not done in a very long time. We have kids playing beforehand, had a choir singing at half-time one week and there is always something like face painting going on. It’s all the smaller stuff like that, that creates the bigger picture.
“To go out on a high like promotion would also be a great way to end my incredible career.”
*To read the full interview with James Feather, see the latest issue of Rugby League World, available now at www.totalrl.com/shop
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LONDON SKOLARS celebrated their run of three consecutive wins by seeing a trio of players named in Rugby League World’s latest team of the month.
The magazine’s selection process covered the period when the Skolars picked up wins against Oldham, on the eve of the Challenge Cup final, Cornwall and West Wales Raiders. Fullback Jarred Bassett and forwards Judd Greenhalgh and Lameck Juma were all instrumental in those victories and Mbu believes their selection in the team is fully justified.
“The three guys have all been great for us, so it’s a real positive to see them recognised,” said Mbu.
“Jarred, from week one, has been outstanding for us in terms of his own personal application and Lameck has come back in and been a breath of fresh air.
“He leads by example in terms of his actions on the pitch – his running, tackling and all-round efforts – and that has been reflected by being named in the Team of the Month.
“Judd has been equally the same with hard running and defensively strong, which has helped us a lot, so all three are worthy of their place.”
*To see the Team of the Month in full see the latest issue of Rugby League World, available now at www.totalrl.com/shop
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HUNSLET have gone to opposite ends of the age spectrum to add further depth to their squad for the second half of the season.
After over two years out of action, 36-year-old Patrick Walker has come out of retirement to link up with head coach Alan Kilshaw, who has already worked with one member of the Walker family this year.
The former Dewsbury Rams, Sheffield Eagles and Batley Bulldogs stand-off is the uncle of Jackson Walker, who has featured for Hunslet this season while on loan from Leeds Rhinos. Jackson’s father and Patrick’s brother James Walker has also enjoyed a previous spell at the club.
Also joining the club is 19-year-old Academy prop Jake Anderson, who has signed a loan deal until the end of the year.
Anderson joins from Newcastle Thunder, where he has already gained some first-team experience in the Championship this season.
“We have been speaking to Patch for a few weeks now and I’m delighted to have got him to the end of the season at least,” said Kilshaw.
“A player of his experience and quality in the halves is a real rarity now.
“When I learned he was having itchy feet in his retirement, I didn’t hesitate to try and sell the club to him. He is a Championship quality stand-off who has achieved success at every club he has been at.
“Not only will his influence on the pitch be hugely beneficial but our younger halfbacks can also learn from him off the field.
“Jake is another player we have added to give us some strength in depth going into the second half of the season. He has a good work rate, carries the ball strongly, and doesn’t take a backwards step in defence.
“We are happy with all the lads we have brought in, and with some players due to return from injury during the next month we can be comfortable with our strength in depth across all positions.”
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SWINTON LIONS are looking forward to the prospect of being well represented at the World Cup later this year.
Three members of the current Lions squad – Mike Butt, Rhodri Lloyd and Paddy Burns – were named in the original 30-man Wales squad to face France recently. Butt was the only one to stay in the squad when it was trimmed to the matchday 21, with Lloyd only missing out because the school he works in was facing an OFSTED inspection.
Richard Lepori could also feature in the tournament after having previously represented Italy.
For coach Allan Coleman, seeing any number of these players represent their heritage come the autumn, would be a huge achievement for the whole club.
“It would be absolutely massive for the club to be represented at the World Cup,” said Coleman.
“That would be something for us to shout from rooftops.
“There won’t be many clubs in League One, maybe even only a handful of Championship clubs, that can boast two or three international players in international sides.
“If we could be one of them that would be great and just proves what a high calibre of players we have got here.”
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NORTH WALES CRUSADERS coach Anthony Murray feels it would be unfair to heap too much pressure on young halfback Reece Briers, given his family connections.
Briers is known to most as the teenage son of former Warrington Wolves and Super League legend Lee Briers, but at the Crusaders, he is simply another player who was handed another chance to impress in the recent visit to Hunslet.
“We just take Reece for who is he,” admitted Murray.
“He is an individual in his own right and we’re quite mindful not to compare him with his dad. Reece is his own person and he adds a lot to the Crusaders.
“He is still only young so we are mindful of how often we play him and what games we play him in. It is a case of blooding him in slowly and letting him enjoy his rugby.
“We will treat Reece for who Reece is and that is a decent player in his own right.”
Elsewhere the club has brought in Widnes duo Dec Gregory and Will Tilleke on initial two-week loan deals.
Gregory previously had a spell at the club in 2019 and has since had stints with Castleford Tigers’ reserves and Oldham before he joined the Vikings.
Tilleke, meanwhile, has progressed through the system at Widnes, turning out for the Under-19s and reserve sides.
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CORNWALL‘s latest signing, Charlie Bodman, will have a unique start to life at his new club, facing his only two previous employers in his opening two games.
Having left Hunslet at the start of last week, the 20-year-old’s move to League One’s newest club was confirmed in time for him to make his debut against his first professional club, West Wales Raiders, on Saturday.
“For me it was perfect to be facing a former club of mine first up,” said Bodman, who hopes the move to the southwest will put him in with a chance of representing Wales in the World Cup later this year.
“Then with Cornwall playing Hunslet next week, I will hopefully be doing it all over again.
“I feel like I have a point to prove to both clubs and to myself as well.
“I want to impress Cornwall and John Kear, the head coach of Wales. I know I need to be playing if I am to have any chance of making the Wales World Cup squad.
“Having game time will tell me if I’m good enough to play at international level. I have been asking myself that question over the past few weeks after I wasn’t involved with Wales for their game in France.
“I can’t wait to get stuck in and give myself the best possible chance of answering all those questions. I am going to work hard and bring a huge amount of dedication to the club.”
Joining Bodman at the club is centre Tom Ashton, who has signed an 18-month deal for an undisclosed fee from Rochdale Hornets.
Ashton, who has also played for Hunslet, Oldham, Dewsbury and Sheffield Eagles, will link back up with coach Neil Kelly, whom he worked with at the Rams.
“Neil was a huge pulling point,” said Ashton.
“I played for him at Dewsbury and after I recovered from a bad knee injury, he put his trust in me.
“Neil then left to pursue other things but we remained in touch as I always had his number. Things weren’t right for me this season so this move to Cornwall is a bit of a no-brainer for me.
“By signing for 18-months, there is some continuity for me and the club also. The security of playing for next year and hearing the club’s plans was a good selling point for both parties.”
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MIDLANDS HURRICANES assistant coach Dave Scott has said his temporary stint in charge of the first team will play a part in deciding if he wants to take on the role of a head-coach later in his career.
Scott has taken the reins since head-coach Richard Squires’ two month ban for breaching the RFL rules regarding betting on the sport in mid-May and will continue to do so until Squires in allowed to return on July 9.
“I’m not too sure what I want to do in the future,” said Scott.
“One of the reasons I joined this club initially was because the assistant coach role really attracted me. I thought it would be a good opportunity for developing off the field and getting some of that experience behind me.
“In terms of a head coaching role, it’s nice to be getting some experience of that right now, and some of the exposure to it, but I’m not too sure yet if that’s what I’ll look to do in the future.
“If there is an opportunity for me to do that, then maybe, but I’m not going to say yes or no to wanting to go into that sort of role in the future, although I am open to it.
“But I guess the more experience I get doing it now, the more I’ll know whether it is something I want to do or not.”
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OLDHAM coach Stuart Littler has been left heartened by the improvements he has seen in his side in recent weeks.
On the eve of the Challenge Cup final at the end of May, Oldham went down 38-16 to London Skolars in the capital, and what followed was some honest discussion about what needed to change.
The following week they improved significantly but still went down 16-8 at home to promotion-chasing Swinton Lions, before bouncing back to defeat Midlands Hurricanes prior to the International break.
“Credit to the Skolars, they were great that night, but it was very disappointing for us,” admitted Littler.
“We had some deep words at training the following week and there was a lot of honesty within the group as to where we were at, what our aims were, what we want to look like, what we currently looked like and what we could do to improve all of that.
“Following all that honesty we worked really hard going into the game against Swinton and we were vastly improved. For long periods it was a very even contest.
“As a group, we continue to work hard in everything we do, and we know we’re still a work in progress, but it is really pleasing to see the things we talk about then happening in the following game.”
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DONCASTER winger Tom Halliday believes he is getting back to his best after a slow start to the season, which saw him out of favour for the opening couple of rounds of the campaign.
The 25-year-old scored eight tries in 17 appearances last season and looked to be rediscovering that form with a two-try man-of-the-match display against Hunslet earlier this month.
Now he is hoping to continue that form and see the side boosted by the return of several players from injury as the side presses ahead with their hopes of promotion.
“I didn’t play well in the pre-season games,” Halliday told the Doncaster Free Press.
“I was making errors and I was generally disappointed with the situation.
“I was told to use my feet more, come looking for the ball and try and find some gaps, which I did last season. It’s going well and I’m enjoying my rugby.
“When we get everyone fit and available, we’ve got a strong-looking squad and there’s going to be competition for places, which is always a good thing.
“The top two might be a big ask but I certainly think we are capable of finishing in the top three.
“If we do, then hopefully we can go one better than last season.”
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ROCHDALE HORNETS have confirmed that they have received a transfer fee from Cornwall for the services of centre Tom Ashton, who has joined the southwest side immediately on an 18-month contract.
Ashton joined the Hornets from Hunslet in the latter stages of last season, in a move again attracting a transfer fee, and went on to score twice in five appearances. He has since added to that with a further four tries in all competitions this season after penning a new one-year deal in November.
A statement on the club’s Twitter feed read: “We would like to say a huge thank you to Tom for all his efforts, during his time at Hornets, and wish him the very best in the next chapter of his career.”
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WEST WALES RAIDERS added some Championship experience to their ranks ahead of Saturday’s visit of Cornwall by signing Barrow Raiders prop Connor Terrill on loan.
The Scotland under-19s player has most recently been turning out for the Salford Red Devils’ reserve side but went straight into the Raiders squad for Saturday’s basement showdown.
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