NORTH WALES CRUSADERS favourite Jono Smith has admitted this season is likely to be his last – especially if the cub go one stage further this year and clinch promotion to the Championship.
The 33-year-old made just four appearances for the club last season and it was announced earlier this month that he had re-signed for another year after progressing well from the injuries that blighted his campaign last time round.
While he is unlikely to fully recover from the main problem, he is at a stage where he can play with it for now, but he knows life without Rugby League is not too far away.
“Initially I broke my fingers playing against Barrow, but then I went to bed one night and couldn’t walk the next morning,” said Smith.
“I went for scans and that’s when we found out I had arthritis in my ankle.
“It was bad for a couple of months so I wrote the season off, but eventually sitting on the couch not doing anything I started feeling as if my body was giving up. I knew I needed to get active again and see if that helped, so I spoke to Muzza (coach Anthony Murray) and started going down to training to see how the body would be and if the ankle would hold up. It went ok and I was able to get a run out against London Skolars.
“When I got diagnosed, I thought that was it, I was done but I didn’t really want to go out that way. I wanted to try and get back and see if I could get out there again and it was great to be back out there with the boys.
“I never envisaged that Barrow game would be my last, but I know my time is coming. Hopefully I can prepare for that now, have a good season and hopefully get promoted.
“I’ve got arthritis in my elbow as well so I’ll just see how my body holds up this year, but I do think if we get promoted that will be me finished. I don’t think the body would hold up in the Championship.”
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KEIGHLEY COUGARS welcomed Billy Gaylor back to their squad for Friday’s meeting with Hunslet, nearly three months after he last played.
The 24-year-old picked up a head knock in the Challenge Cup defeat to Hunslet in January and hasn’t featured since, with coach Rhys Lovegrove drawing on his own experience to ensure a safe return for the utility player.
“He took a knock late in the first half of that game and had been struggling ever since with ongoing concussion symptoms,” said Lovegrove.
“But we’ve now had the all clear from the specialist and it was great to have him back training with the lads last week for the first time since January.
“Player welfare is at the forefront and with my experience of head knocks, it was something we really wanted do do properly. We made sure we ticked all the boxes and were really really careful with his wellbeing.
“We took things slowly and let them progress as they needed to do. So was great to get the green light from the specialist and see him back with us after what has been quite a lengthy spell out watching training.
“The one thing I remember from when I was playing is that when I was out with concussion I always thought it was such a huge rush to get back. Each time it happened, the length of time I was out for got progressively longer and longer out and at one point I was out for six months. I just remember thinking during that six months that I just had to get back. Ultimately my career was pretty much over by the age of 28 and in hindsight I had all the time in the world when you see guys like Scott Murrell and Jake Webster still running around.
“I know what it’s like for Billy and the biggest thing was just talking to him. I knew he he was chomping at the bit to play again, but at the end of the day, he’s still young and has the rest of his career ahead of him and rest of life ahead of him. So we took all the time needed with him.”
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MIDLANDS HURRICANES coach Richard Squires was delighted to see his side finally get off the mark when they travelled down to Cornwall, and he believes the very nature of the trip was partly the reason.
Having lost their opening two games to Doncaster and Swinton Lions, the Hurricanes were the first side to visit the new club’s base in Penryn and ran out 60-14 winners.
“We probably had the toughest start possible with Doncaster and Swinton,” said Squires.
“We did struggle a little bit but found our groove against Cornwall.
“The pressure was really on for that game. It was the first game down there and there was a lot of hype around it, but the trip did us good. We went down on the Saturday, and although we’re probably one of the closest clubs to Cornwall, it still took about four hours to where we were staying on the outskirts of Exeter. It was a nice hotel and a nice bonding session for the lads on the Saturday night.
“We had had a few things booked in for the lads to do together, but through Covid or through no fault of our own, they ended up not happening and being cancelled, so we’ve never been able to fully get together away from training. Being able to spend time with each other and not worrying about the things need to do in training was great for us all.
“They could let their hair down a bit and really get to know each other a bit more off the field.
“It was good for us and that time allowed the boys to feel more comfortable in themselves and with each other and we took that into the game and put in real positive performance.”
Two players who made the trip with the club were David Foggin-Johnson and Marcus Green, both of whom joined from Bradford Bulls on initial two-week loan deals.
The pair were again available for Sunday’s visit of London Skolars and Squires is hoping he can keep hold of the duo for a little longer.
“I know Bradford’s John Kear and Mark Dunning really well and we’re in contact every week,” added Squires.
“We’ve been without an out and out winger all season and after picking up a few new injuries we needed a little bit extra.
“Dave was just coming back from his five game ban and the other wingers at Bradford have been playing well. With no reserves game for a few weeks there was a real opportunity for Dave to come in and get some game time and get back into the mix. He has been around the professional game for many years now so we knew what he’d bring us and thats a lot of energy, an experienced finisher and another voice. And that’s exactly what he has done.
Marcus also really impressed me. He’s been touted by Bradford as one of their up and coming forwards, and went out there and took his opportunity. He needs to be playing against men more and he’ll get to do that here.
“The option is there to extend their time with us and I’d love to keep them for longer but I don’t think that’ll be possible, with the reserves getting priority.
“We haven’t planned on having them long term and we should be getting some bodies back soon, but if they remain available to us then great.”
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HUNSLET welcomed a trio of new signings to the club ahead of Friday’s Easter showdown with Keighley Cougars, with teenage props Connor Moore and Daniel Okoro – both from Hull KR – and 21-year-old Halifax back rower Cole Oakley, all joining on initial two-week loan deals.
Their arrivals give coach Alan Kilshaw some more options up front following a number of injuries in the early stages of the season.
“We are very thankful to Tony Smith at Hull KR, and Simon Grix at Halifax for enabling the deals to go ahead,” said Kilshaw.
“We have been hit by injuries to senior players and it’s evident we need to add some size to the team. We are really happy to have all three involved at Hunslet, and I know how much they are itching to play.
“It’s important we supplement the current playing group – particularly some of the younger lads as we continue to develop them into first grade players – with players of this quality.”
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LONDON SKOLARS had two new local faces in their ranks ahead of Sunday’s trip to Midlands Hurricanes after the double signing of hooker, Kayne Chan-Kitchener and halfback or hooker, Elliott Hutchings.
Chan-Kitchener initially joined the club as a 16-year-old and progressed through their junior system before making his League One debut two years later at the end of the 2019 season.
19-year-old Hutchings has spent three years in the London Broncos Academy, winning young player of the year in 2019.
“Both Kayne and Elliott have big futures in the game,” said Skolars coach Joe Mbu.
“We are pleased to continue our tradition of developing players and aiding their transition from the London Rugby League pathway to first grade rugby.
“We hope to see both of them in the match day squad soon.”
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CORNWALL coach Neil Kelly has said it is vital that he sees more players come into his squad in the coming weeks.
Having recently signed a dual registration agreement with Bradford Bulls, Kelly welcomed Odsal trio Coby Nichol, Joe Burton and Jayden Myers into the squad to face Doncaster on Saturday due to injuries to Jamie Prisk, Josh Tora and Josh Hartshorne, while Andy Kay and Liam Whitton (ban) were also unavailable.
Whether any new signings come in on permanent deals or loan/dual registration moves will be determined by who is available, but Kelly knows it is all about the numbers as the Choughs look to become more competitive throughout the year.
“You don’t achieve anything with a team, you achieve it with a squad,” said Kelly.
“We are looking around and I do hope to add to the squad because we need some more numbers at training. We have got a decent team, but we are looking to strengthen it as I don’t think our squad – numbers wise, or quality-wise – is quite there yet.
“Players always become available when they’re not getting in at their own club and are looking for a game elsewhere. We’re a team that can virtually guarantee a game for players, especially those with a good Rugby League pedigree.”
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WEST WALES RAIDERS chief executive Peter Tiffin has given his full backing to new coach Ash Bateman in the wake of the 100-4 defeat to Oldham last time out.
The Welsh outfit had a bye over the Easter weekend and return to action against Doncaster on Saturday, with Tiffin indicating there may be more players available to Bateman by then.
“Myself and Andrew (Thorne – chairman) are fully behind Ash and his team and what he is trying to achieve but it’s going to take time,” said Tiffin in a statement on the club website.
“It’s a totally different process to previous Raiders coaches and I think it will a massive positive step for the club.
“There were glimpses of how Ash wants his squad to play at home against Rochdale.
“We are working hard to grow the squad even further as we have seen a lot of injuries and suspensions has dented the squad already.
“I know we have had a few years in the professional leagues and some may be thinking the club is going backwards in results but please be patient as an arrow needs to be pulled back before it can go forward.”
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SWINTON LIONS will bring a tough run of fixtures to a close when they travel to face Keighley Cougars on Sunday.
That game will come after clashes with fellow promotion challengers Doncaster and North Wales Crusaders, so it is no surprise coach Allan Coleman is pleased that the trip to West Yorkshire will be followed by the club’s bye weekend.
“After that run we will probably need a rest by then so we have been very fortunate with how things have fallen,” said Coleman.
“We’ll have played five games by then so we’ll be able to see where we’re at. It’s also a bank holiday weekend so my players will be able to get some family time as well.
“Really it’ll be the perfect time for us to have the bye.”
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The importance of OLDHAM’S first league fixture against rivals Rochdale Hornets in five years was not lost on Roughyeds coach Stuart Littler ahead of the weekend’s Good Friday showdown.
Despite a hat-trick from Oldham full back Owen Restall, bragging rights went Rochdale’s way, but Littler knows it was still a special game for all involved with the club.
“It was my first experience of a Rochdale v Oldham game, but I know how much these games mean to the local people,” said Littler.
“I played 12 games on loan at Rochdale when I was at Leigh and I used to work in schools Rochdale. I now work in schools in Oldham, so know first hand how much people always look forward to these games and what they mean to the fans.
“Because of Covid and us being in different leagues it’s been a few years since we last played each other for a while, so everyone was looking forward to it. But at the same time
we knew we needed to put our best foot forward.”
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DONCASTER hooker Ben Cockayne is confident his side can right some early season wrongs.
Prior to Saturday’s visit of Cornwall, the South Yorkshire outfit had won just one – against Midlands Hurricanes – of their opening three matches, but the 38-year-old believes they can turn a corner and put a run of more positive results together.
“We don’t seem to be starting games as we should be,” Cockayne told the club website after making his first appearance of the season in the defeat to Swinton Lions.
“At Keighley (round one) we got what we deserved after a terrible start and the Hurricanes game wasn’t a great start from us either.
“We’ve probably got a bit of a mental barrier to get over with that, but once we do, it’s early on in the season so we’ve got to keep grinding away.
“It’s good to be back but there’s bits in my game for me to work on.
“Two weeks after a knee op I just wanted to get through the 80 minutes. I knew from early on that we were up against it but it’d do me good to stay out there and blow my lungs out and grind through it.”
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ROCHDALE HORNETS will be hoping they can keep hold of loanee Ben O’Keefe for a little bit longer.
The initial two-week arrangement with Wigan Warriors has now expired, but O’Keefe, who is the son of former Hornets player Paul O’Keefe, put in promising performances against both Hunslet and Oldham – scoring a brace of tries on his debut.
“He’s a young local lad, who’s hungry to play for Rochdale so he can follow in his Dad’s footsteps,” said head coach Matt Calland.
“Ben’s done really well since making the step up from academy rugby and as Wigan’s reserves have no game for a few weeks, we saw this as a great opportunity.”
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