Roughyeds young guns are quick learners

A YOUNG Oldham RL squad's ability to learn from mistakes was key to their top-two finish, said assistant boss Lee Spencer.

The players, nearly a dozen of whom were playing senior rugby for the first time, started the season wearing L-plates but went on to pass tests with distinction.

They won 12 games and drew one out of 16 in Kingstone Press Championship One, boasting the best away record in the division.

Said Spencer: "It's significant that two of the three losses were early in the season when we were on a big learning curve. We copped defeats by Rochdale, Oxford and North Wales, learned from our mistakes and went on to beat them in the return games.

"There wasn't a team in the division we didn't beat at least once and if you take the Northern Rail Cup into account we beat Gateshead Thunder and South Wales Scorpions three times.

"Not a lot of people realise just how young we are. A lot of the boys are barely out of academy rugby, yet on our day we can realistically claim to be the best team in the league.”

"Evidence that the boys had the knack of learning from mistakes and learning from defeat is overwhelming.”