Pressure’s off Oldham - Naylor

Scott Naylor: Pressure of, he says

COACH Scott Naylor insists all the pressure is on Hunslet in Sunday’s televised Kingstone Press Championship One Grand Final at Headingley.

Fans may see it differently, but as far as Naylor and his players are concerned they have no reason to be intimidated by Oldham’s record of five Grand Final defeats in seven years.

Only one player, Jason Boults, featured in any of those losses. The team has even changed significantly since last year.

Steve Roper’s arrival in mid-season and Gareth Owen’s recruitment on loan seven games ago, producing six wins, have improved the side significantly.

Naylor is working hard on playing down the big-match hype and keeping the dressing room free of nerves.

Full-back Steven Nield said: “Scott is keen to play it cool. He has played in loads of finals and the advice he is giving us is priceless.”

Naylor said: “We learned a lot in last year’s Grand Final defeat, and we are all the better for it.

“Whatever the bookies might say from day one everybody outside Oldham thought York or Hunslet would go straight back up, so all the pressure and all the weight of expectation is on them.”

Boults is in line to make his 250th career appearance, having played 57 times for Halifax and 192 times for Oldham.

Naylor will pick from a 23-man squad and he says he hasn’t ruled out the odd change, though he is expected to go with a similar side to that which excelled in play-off wins at Hunslet and York.

Hunslet coach Barry Eaton must decide whether to stick with the side that won at York or take a gamble and introduce Luke Hardbottle, who recently returned from playing in Australia.



FANS are invited to gather at Whitebank on Sunday to give the players a big send-off as they depart for Headingley. Club and bar will open at noon and the team coach will leave at approximately 12.45pm.

After the game, team and backroom staff will return to Whitebank where the club and bar will re-open at approximately 6.30pm.

Match tickets are on sale from Whitebank between 5pm and 7pm tonight but NOT tomorrow morning.