Players facing fitness checks

ROUGHYEDS coach Tony Benson will make checks on his weary and wounded troops at training tonight.

A mystery illness apparently affected Wayne Kerr and Marcus St Hilaire in the 42-24 home defeat to South Wales Scorpions, leaving them feeling tired and weak.

Dave Ellison, who needed stitches in a head wound during the game, was also running on empty and had a sore shin injury to contend with as well.

Benson will be looking at whether Neil Roden is fit enough to step back into the side for Sunday’s match at York.

A back problem has plagued the stand-off recently and it was felt it was too much of a risk to field him against the Scorpions.

A second-place finish in Co-operative Championship One is the worst the Roughyeds can do in what has been a highly successful and bright campaign so far.

With three games of the regular season left — starting with the Knights at the Huntington Stadium this weekend — chairman Chris Hamilton says that it is nonetheless important to get back to winning ways ahead of the play-offs.

“We have performed so well all season, it is important that we don’t drop back,” he said.

“You can’t just turn up and turn on form like a tap, so we want to see a consistent level of performance.”

After York, Roughyeds face Hornets RL at home on Sunday, August 15, before the final league match of the season at London Skolars on Friday, August 27 (6.30pm kick-off), the night before the Challenge Cup final at Wembley.