Halliwell facing long ban

DANNY HALLIWELL may have played his final game of the season for Oldham.

The centre faces a ban of up to eight matches after being charged with two separate offences that occurred during the 60–6 win at Workington last week.

The first of the two charges the 28-year-old faces is over a ‘reckless grapple tackle’ which carries a suspension of between one and four matches, with the second being for ‘repeated punching’, again with one to four matches the recommended sanction.

Both have been classed as Grade C offences and both concern the 19th-minute incident which ended with Halliwell receiving a red card from referee Craig Halloran.

The former Leigh and Salford centre is now set to appear before the RFL’s disciplinary committee on Tuesday night.

Halliwell will sign off for a minimum of two matches after this weekend’s Northern Rail Nines competition, meaning he is sure to miss crucial Co-operative Championship One games at home to Keighley next week and away to leaders Dewsbury seven days later.

With other centre options Paul Reilly currently injured with a broken nose and Craig Littler out on loan at Swinton, the pending suspension leaves coach Tony Benson with a headache in that area.

Halliwell is included in a the squad which travels to Blackpool tomorrow, a party which also includes first-year professionals Mark Smith and Scott Mansfield. Chris Clarke was due to appear too, but he broke a thumb in training last night.

Benson has picked a squad which doesn’t feature any recognised prop forwards, with the need to select a fast but strong side paramount.

As well as Reilly and Clarke, out of contention through injury are Phil Joseph (groin), Neil Roden (shoulder), Jamie I’Anson (arm) and Marcus St Hilaire (Achilles), while front row pair Paul Highton (knee) and Luke Menzies (ankle), who wouldn’t have played in Blackpool anyway, have another week to recover before the Keighley clash.

Oldham (from): O’Connor, Ballard, Halliwell, Onyango, Greenwood, J Coyle, T Coyle, Sykes, Goulden, Allen, Baines, Smith, Robinson, Mansfield.




OLDHAM’S reserves lost 48-6 at Widnes last night.