Bloomfield departs as Roughyeds trim squad

Date published: 22 October 2014


OLDHAM RL Club has released several players as it streamlines the squad for 2015.

Half-back Brett Robinson and forwards Paddy Mooney, Ben Wood and Mark Hobson will not be offered new deals.

Also going are top try scorer Dale Bloomfield and hooker Danny Whitmore - though of their own accord.

Bloomfield is moving to another club — believed to be his former employers Rochdale Hornets — and Whitmore left the club weeks before the end of the season after losing his place to loanee Gareth Owen.

“It was good to have them while they were here, but they decided Oldham was no longer for them,” said Naylor.

Revealing reasons for the decision to go with a significantly smaller squad in 2015, Naylor said there was a lot more to it than financial cutbacks.

“At one point last year we had 27 players training regularly, all wanting a game at the weekend. It’s not right to have so many players that you have to tell eight or nine every week their services won’t be required.

“It was a real shame I had to have that conversation with Paddy Mooney, Ben Wood, Mark Hobson and Brett Robinson because they had shown outstanding professionalism all season. They go with our best wishes and our hopes that they get another club.”