Make or break

James Coyle

ROUGHYEDS scrum-half James Coyle reckons his team will have to top anything they have done all season to reach the National League Two Grand Final.

Local rivals Rochdale sit between Oldham and a revenge encounter with Doncaster at the Halliwell Jones Stadium on Sunday, September 28.

But with a whole season's efforts now riding on the result of this one play-off derby clash, there is no danger of Coyle — or anyone else in the squad — looking any further than Sunday's Boundary Park clash (3pm kick off).

Even then, a scratchy victory, Coyle warned, may not be sufficient if the promotion goal is to be met.

"We said after the Doncaster game that if we want to win the play-offs, we weren't going to do it by pinching a win," said Coyle, a member of the team which lost 32-20 to the Dons last weekend.

"We need a performance to go into the final with. If we perform this week then it gives us a good stepping stone.

"I think that, looking at what Rochdale have done to get here, it is quite similar to us last year. They have hit the same kind of form and are beating teams you wouldn't expect them to.

CONFIDENCE

"We were high on confidence then and so we know just what that that confidence and enthusiasm can do.

"Rochdale are playing better than Doncaster at the moment — so we will have to put on our best performance of the season if we want to make it to the final.

"They are a completely different team to the one we have faced previously this year. They have got a lot of pace and will be very dangerous."

Much has indeed changed since the last meeting between the two teams at the end of April.

Hornets now have a new coach in Darren Shaw, a member of the Sheffield Eagles side that won the Challenge Cup in 1998 — with Steve Deakin on its coaching staff.

Two members of the Leeds side that won at Wembley the following year, Marcus St Hilaire and Leroy Rivett, who claimed a record four tries in the Rhinos' 52-16 hammering of London Broncos in 1999, are likely to line up on opposite sides this Sunday.

Rivett is one of a number of new signings made by Shaw who has made a big impact at Spotland.

Others talents include Paul Rolls, from Rochdale Mayfield, full-back Chris Giles and ex-Halifax man Janan Billings.

In addition, Rochdale possess a sharp stand-off in Martin Ainscough, who has 28 tries this year, and a real talent in young Oldhamer Carl Sneyd.

For the 32-26 victory at Keighley which got them to this stage, Rochdale's line-up featured former Oldham men David Best, Wayne Corcoran and Ian Sinfield.

The last time the teams faced each other in play-off rugby was in 2001, when a stunning fightback from Mike Ford's Oldham saw them win 39-32 at Spotland to claim a place in the Grand Final.