Flanagan denies Roughyeds link

TERRY FLANAGAN has denied reports that he is involved in a bid to rescue the troubled Oldham club.

The former Great Britain loose forward, a Watersheddings favourite who is now a highly successful businessman and chairman of Saddleworth Rangers, was named as part of a syndicate poised to wrest control of the Roughyeds.

However, the 48-year-old told the Chronicle that this is simply not the case.

“Whether I was an easy name for someone to pluck out of the air I don’t know,” said Flanagan, whose son Mark is set to meet Wests Tigers officials today after flying out to Australia to take up a contract in the NRL.

“I want Oldham to be successful and for everything to turn out fine, but am not going to be involved.

“I have got a lot on with the Rangers and am also heavily involved with the Oldham Youth Zone project so it would be too much for me.”

Roughyeds officials have clarified the club’s position with regards to the playing staff, who it was suggested in the same report have all had their contracts cancelled.

At the start of October, each club provides a list of players who have not been offered contracts for next season to the RFL, who then circulate the names to other clubs.

With the ownership situation at Oldham still not resolved — majority shareholder Bill Quinn and chief executive Chris Hamilton are set for further discussions this week in a bid to resolve the current impasse — nobody has been offered a playing deal for 2010 as yet, meaning that every Oldham player appeared on that list.

The existing contracts of the squad run until November 30 and there has been no cancellation of any of those deals.

Coach Tony Benson, currently on holiday in New Zealand, is also without a deal after that date, though both Quinn and Hamilton have stated they are keen to see him return to the club for next season.

Oldham reserves player Austin Barraclough and first-team prop forward Wayne Kerr lined up against each other yesterday in the European Cup clash at Tullamore RUFC in Ireland.

Kerr, on home soil, played from the bench as his team overwhelmed Serbia — the birthplace of Barraclough’s grandfather — 82-0.

Also in the Ireland side were ex-Roughyeds contingent Stevie Gibbons, Dave Allen and James Coyle. Roughyeds centre Marcus St Hilaire, also in the Ireland squad, didn’t play.