Action-man Sam on milestone threshold

Sam Gee: powerhouse

ON-FIRE Oldham chase their ninth win in a row at Hemel Stags on Sunday.

Of the other 37 clubs in Super League, the Championship and League One, only Halifax have a better record.

Outside the Whitebank dressing room, Sunday’s game in Hertfordshire will be seen as a banker win for Scott Naylor’s Kingstone Press League One leaders.

The side in playing its best and toughest rugby for years, with rival coaches admitting the side’s outstanding strength and power.

Naylor, his deputy Lee Spencer and fitness chief Kane Daniels have instilled confidence, self-belief and a the desire to maintain their high standards in their pursuit of promotion.

In their third season together, the likes of Josh Crowley, Danny Langtree, Kenny Hughes, Michael Ward, Jon Ford, Phil Joy, Lewis Palfrey, Adam Files, Sam Gee, Liam Thompson and Steven Nield are older, stronger and infinitely wiser.

Naylor’s achievements in an extraordinarily competitive division this year have surpasssed all expectations.

Several of his 2013 originals are playing better than ever before, none more so than vice-captain Gee.

He has played outstandingly well in different positions during the eight-match run. Dashing, determined and possessing boundless energy, action-man Gee is typical of what this Oldham side is all about.

Barring a Naylor decision to rest him, Gee will make his 100th career appearance at Hemel, having played 29 times for London Skolars, 13 times for Whitehaven and 57 times for the club he once described as the best he has ever played for.

It should be a magical milestone for the Roughyeds play-anywhere man, but Naylor will make sure that nobody in an Oldham jersey undervalues the Stags.

They surely won’t, given that Hemel drew 20-20 at Whitebank last season then added a 44-32 win at home.

Naylor said: “We’ve still got some tough games to come, starting with Hemel. They’ll be gunning for us, that’s for sure. We work hard, we’ve been playing well and we’ve put ourselves in a strong position.

“It would be a shame if we were now to make uncharacteristic mistakes.”