Kerr keen to rise to the challenge

WAYNE KERR: Hoping the Roughyeds can drive on against London Skolars.

WAYNE KERR feels that the intense competition for places in the Oldham squad is driving him to becoming a better player.

The 25-year-old was dropped from Tony Benson’s side following a disappointing display against Rochdale Hornets on Good Friday and missed out on selection for the Dewsbury game — the only time this season he has been left out when available to play since joining the club.

The Ireland international knuckled down and ran in a hat-trick for the reserves to merit a recall last week.

Ahead of the trip to face his old club London Skolars tomorrow afternoon (3pm kick off), Kerr is happy with the progress he is making with the Roughyeds.

“I was very disappointed to be dropped,” admitted the big forward, scorer of 10 tries in 25 appearances for the Benson-coached Skolars last year.

“I didn’t have a good game against Rochdale, I knew that, and then Tony told me I would be playing in the reserves.

“I was fired up for that game and managed to score a hat-trick and then found myself back in against Swinton.

“The competition we have got for places is great, especially in the props. We have seven, plus Jason Boults who has recently come back.

“It is tough, but it has been good for me and every week I am learning more and more.”

Kerr’s former club have struggled this season and have yet to pick up a positive result under Callum Irving, the youngest head coach in the pro game at 28.

Skolars’ last victory came under Benson, a 50-16 hammering of Hunslet Hawks in July 2008, and since then the team coached by Callum Irving has lost 16 consecutive matches, including a Carnegie Challenge Cup reverse up at amateurs Wath Brow Hornets.

Kerr believes, though, that the new tough guidelines restricting foreign nationals from playing professional rugby league have had a big impact on a side traditionally bulked out with players from overseas.

And though he doesn’t expect an easy ride at the White Hart Lane Community Sports Centre, the Roughyeds forward does have a specific target in mind.

“Callum is a very good coach, as I know from working with him last year, and there are some decent lads there but it is difficult for them with the new immigration rules,” Kerr added.

“They will come at us fired up, definitely, seeing as they are up against Tony (Benson) as well as former players like myself and Stevie (Gibbons).

“Hopefully we will have too much for them, but we are not going down there thinking about hammering them.

“We can’t afford to be complacent. It will be tough in the opening 15 minutes and then hopefully we can pull away.

“Our objective is to ‘nil’ them and score as many points as we can.”