Roughyeds duo land roles in all-star team
Date published: 26 August 2010
OLDHAM Roughyeds stars Paul O'Connor and Neil Roden have been named in the 2010 Co-operative Championship One all-stars team.
O'Connor has performed heroics at full-back in each of the Roughyeds' 25 cup-and-league games this season, winning numerous man-of-the-match awards with his all-action displays in both attack and defence. He made his 100th appearance for the club at Gateshead on July 4.
His courageous tackling and clever positional play have rescued Roughyeds many times, but he has also underlined his exciting attacking prowess by scoring 18 tries to share second spot in the club's try-scoring charts with centre Mick Fogerty, both only one behind winger Lucas Onyango.
Roden, who has played 247 cup-and-league games for the Roughyeds, has had one of his best-ever seasons, providing the cool and cultured midfield creativity at stand-off which has been a hallmark of the team's success.
Both have played major roles in a squad that coach Tony Benson has guided to runners-up spot in Co-operative Championship One with 16 wins from 19 games (one still to play) to earn another crack at promotion via the play-offs for the fourth year in a row.
Significantly, Roden didn't play in the three league defeats by York City Knights, Hunslet Hawks and South Wales Scorpions, all at the Whitebank Stadium.
Both players will be serious contenders for honours when the Roughyeds' senior squad holds its end-of-season player-of-the-year presentation night on Saturday, September 4.
Both too will be key to any success Oldham might have in the play-offs, starting with the visit of York City Knights to Whitebank on Sunday, September 12 in a tie which is expected to produce the biggest Whitebank crowd since the club moved to the stadium in mid-season.
York centre Lee Waterman is also included in the all-stars team, in which O'Connor and Roden have pipped some strong challengers for their respective spots.
Team: O'Connor (OLDHAM); Munro (Blackpool), Waterman (York), McHugh (Hunslet), Pryce (Hunslet); Roden (OLDHAM), P March (Hunslet); Hobson (Blackpool), Wood (Hornets), Dudson (South Wales), Stack (Workington), Ashall (Hornets), D March (Hunslet).
The Championship all-star team includes former Roughyeds players in centre Mick Nanyn of Leigh Centurions and second-row man Lee Doran of Widnes Vikings.
Royston (Halifax); Campbell (Batley), Nanyn (Leigh), Catic (Barrow), Worrincy (Halifax); Rooney (Barrow), Finn (Featherstone); Dickens (Featherstone), Crook (Sheffield), Hesketh (Batley), Grayshon (Featherstone), Doran (Widnes), Dale (Featherstone).
Most of the 26 will be preparing for the play-offs which culminate in Co-operative Championships Finals Day in Warrington on Sunday, September 26.
Winners of the Co-operative One play-off final on that day will join Hunslet, who finished top of the division, in the Championship next season.
Play-off pairings are as follows: Oldham v York; Blackpool v Workington; Rochdale Hornets v South Wales Scorpions. The winners of Oldham v York go straight through to the final while the losers get a second chance.
The other four teams play-off for the right to meet the losers of Oldham v York in the other semi.
