Naylor's hint at changes

SCOTT NAYLOR

WITH five Shield games left and a few players nursing late-season knocks, Oldham RL boss Scott Naylor has hinted that he will rotate his squad, starting at Bradford Bulls on Sunday.

The only player he has ruled out is Craig Briscoe, whose serious knee injury has brought his season to a premature end.

In addition to the 17 who won impressively at Swinton, he will consider the claims of Danny Grimshaw, Jack Blagbrough, Adam Files, Richard Lepori and Michael Ward, whose two-game suspension has now been cleared.

Said Naylor: "We have choices to make, bearing in mind that we have five games left and, like all clubs, one or two boys who have niggles that need to be managed."

Oldham (from): Turner, Clay, Gee, Gill, Chisholm, Palfrey, Hewitt, Joy, Owen, Dickinson, Middlehurst, Langtree, Thompson, Hope, Hughes, Burke, Spencer, Grimshaw, Blagbrough, Files, Lepori, Ward.

FULL-TIME

Bulls, a full-time outfit currently surrounded by speculation they might soon have new owners, beat Roughyeds home and away in the regular season.

They are certain to finish top of the Championship Shield mini-league so they have little to play for other than wounded pride, having failed to qualify for the Middle 8s and a chance to return to Super League.

Said Naylor: "We'll be testing ourselves against a side that should have finished in the Championship top four, bearing in mind the money they spent to get there and the quality of their players."