Halliwell set to see specialist

DANNY Halliwell is to visit a specialist next week in order to determine whether he needs a hernia operation.

The former Halifax and Leigh centre, who agreed a new one-year contract with the Roughyeds last month despite stiff competition for his signature, was struggling with an abdominal problem towards the back end of last season.

It settled down and the 27-year-old was able to turn out in each of the last six games for Oldham, scoring five tries and kicking 20 goals in the process, as the National League Two season culminated in an 18-10 play-off final defeat to Doncaster.

While he has been training as normal with the rest of the squad over the last three weeks, the discomfort is back and the hope is that if he has sustained a hernia, the situation can be resolved quickly.

“If he needs an operation we want to get him in as quickly as possible,” said Roughyeds chief executive Chris Hamilton.

“We don’t want it to be an ongoing situation that carries into the new season.”

Surgery would rule Halliwell out of action for around a month, meaning he should be back to take part in any pre-season January friendlies.

Richard Mervill is also due to seek medical advice on the elbow injury that restricted his pre-season last year.

This is a precautionary move, in order to find out if there is anything the club can do to guard against the problem rearing up once again.

Oldham officials are expecting to receive a draft fixture list for 2009 from the RFL next week and a published list is expected to follow in early December.

Captain Nathan Cayless and second rower Sika Manu have both been cautioned for dangerous play but have been named by New Zealand coach Stephen Kearney in an unchanged team for Saturday's World Cup final against Australia after no further action was taken.