Menzies ready and willing for Oldham

THROUGH THE TACKLES: Luke Menzies (centre) in action for Oldham.

LUKE Menzies believes Oldham are better prepared than last season for the confrontations that lie ahead.

The 20-year-old prop forward, in the wars for the Roughyeds as the team claimed the spoils in Friday's local derby at Spotland, reckons that Dewsbury will arrive at Boundary Park this weekend with a similar no-holds-barred attitude to that exhibited by the Hornets.

While high levels of adrenaline-fuelled enthusiasm have arguably done for the Roughyeds on a number of occasions over the past couple of years, though, Menzies is of the belief that the team now coached by Tony Benson is now fully equipped to grind out wins in games — like that against the Hornets — which would once have been lost.

"We showed character on the day," said Menzies, sin-binned at Spotland after a second-half altercation with former team-mate at Batley, Rochdale prop David Best.

"Rochdale came at us all guns blazing and we were forced to dig deep.

"Tempers were strained at times, which is going to happen in a derby. Besty and me are mates off the field and we shook hands after the game — he just caught me around the eyes and I reacted.

"Last year, Rochdale and other sides beat us through enthusiasm. Again, on Friday we came up against a very enthusiastic set of players.

"This time though, with the players that have been added to the squad and with the experiences of last season in the minds of those who have stayed at the club, we have learnt from our mistakes and are ready for those kinds of challenges.

"The week before, Lézignan were the best attacking side we will play all year whereas the Rochdale game was totally different and not nearly so pretty.

"Rugby league is all about reacting to situations positively and that is what we did.

"I have a few friends over at Dewsbury — Keegan Hirst is one of my best mates and there is also (former Oldham forward) Adam Robinson and others — and it is a massive game for us.

"I am sure that they will want to come over and bash us about, but we will be ready for that.

"We didn't really knock teams around too much last season, but this year we are able to be much more physical.

"If teams come here thinking they can push us over then they will have a shock coming to them."

Menzies has only recently come back into the team, making his third and fourth appearances of the campaign in the Challenge Cup tie against Lézignan and the Co-operative Championship One match at Rochdale respectively.

Though he has found it difficult to get past some experienced names in a squad laden with prop forwards, his enthusiasm for the game certainly hasn't dimmed and Menzies remains determined to keep his place.

"It is tough at the moment with everyone thinking they should be getting a run-out," added the Batley-born player.

"Paul Highton and Jamie I'Anson were playing really well earlier in the season and it was good for the team that this was the case.

"All I could do was show as much as I could in training in order to persuade Tony (Benson) to give me a chance.

"I thought I went well against Lézignan but it isn't about one game — you have to string two, three and four performances together.

"Playing in those conditions and taking into the account going into the sin-bin, maybe it doesn't look too good for me.

"But on a personal level I just love pulling on the boots and turning out for Oldham. I feel it from my feet right through to the tips of my fingers every time I play."