Palfrey proud to wear armband

Lewis Palfrey: second season as captain

LEWIS Palfrey, Oldham RL Club’s attacking architect, will continue to wear the captain’s armband in his second season at Whitebank.

The 23-year-old half-back has accepted the invitation to take on the role, calling the offer “an honour and a privilege”. Hooker Sam Gee (26) will continue as vice-captain.

“I was absolutely delighted when Scott asked me to captain the side again because it’s a privilege to put on the Oldham jersey and a real honour to lead out the team and shoulder the responsibilities of captain,” said Lewis.

Coach Scott Naylor said: “They did a great job last year both on and off the field, and I’m more than happy for them to carry on.”

With the first of the pre-season warm-up games at Barrow three weeks away, Palfrey believes preparations are going well: “I don’t want to give away secrets, but we’ve changed a few things for the better this year, and the new lads are fitting in particularly well.

“Last season was a good one in many ways and a big factor in all we achieved was our individual and collective enthusiasm.

“Had it not been for two home defeats early on we could well have gone up as champions, and we have talked already about how important it is this time to get off to a good start, then maintain it.

“We've got three friendlies against teams from the Championship and we hope to use those tough tests to set us up for hitting the ground running in the league.