Late signings vital for promotion push

SCOTT Naylor’s new signings Elliot Liku and Will Hope will bolster his top of the table squad as it pushes for the division championship, he says.

Oldham can no longer call on dual-registration players from link club Huddersfield Giants - after the registration deadline they can play for one club, and injury problems for the Giants have prompted a general recall.

Naylor has used seven young Giants players over 35 appearances - nearly half of them by Nathan Mason, who was recalled three weeks ago.

This prompted Naylor's move for forwards Liku - a 19-year-old prop from Leigh Centurions - and 22-year-old back-row man Hope, a free agent Naylor has chased for several months.

"I tried to sign Will last year when he left Salford,” said Naylor. “He wanted some time out, but he's been looking to get back into the game for a while and I've been talking to him behind the scenes for a couple of couple of months.

"He's been playing amateur rugby and keeping himself fit so after a couple of weeks of training with us he'll be ready to go. If we see the same Will Hope as the one who left Salford we've got ourselves a very good player indeed. Three clubs in our division and two in the Championship were chasing him when he left Salford. We've done well to get a player of his calibre."

Naylor has known Liku since he was a boy and is a friend of his father, Tau, a former Tongan international.

“I’ve watched Elliot grow up,” said the Oldham boss. “I know him very well. He propped against us in a pre-season friendly and got the man of the match award.

“He’s captain of Leigh’s second team. He’s ready to make the step up to senior level and I have every confidence in the lad to do a good job for us.”

“We’re on the last leg of the season and we badly needed five at least going into the business end of the season.

“With five props I can rotate four from five and one of them can always have a rest. Elliot’s arrival will enable me to do that, and I think it’s important.”