Victory so important — McDermott

BARRIE McDermott believes that a play-off final victory for Oldham would lift the whole town.

Only 80 minutes separates the Roughyeds from claiming what the former Oldham, Leeds and Great Britain forward views as a rightful place in the Championship, back among clubs of the calibre of Widnes, Leigh and Halifax.

McDermott (38) will be present at the Halliwell Jones Stadium on Sunday as part of Sky Sports’ commentary team.

And he hopes that a win over York can help with the process of getting the brightest young talent in the borough involved with their local club.

“You only have to look at the England team that played out last year’s Four Nations final against Australia,” McDermott (pictured left) said.

“There were three Oldham lads in there — Chris Bridge, Kyle Eastmond and Kevin Sinfield.

“Rugby league is alive and well in the town, there is no doubt about that, and there is a lot of really good work going on at grass roots level at the amateur clubs.

“The boost that a win in the final would give the town would be tremendous.

“I am very proud to be Oldham through and through and my fingers are crossed.”

McDermott, who made 24 first-team appearances for Oldham between 1991 and 1994, has paid visits to the club’s new Whitebank Stadium headquarters this season.

While accepting it is very much a work-in-progress, McDermott knows first-hand how difficult some rough-and-ready grounds can be to play at for the opposition.

“I remember well the atmosphere at Watersheddings,” he added.

“Even by the standards of the 1980s and 90s, it was a little run-down — but the important thing was, it was ours.

“We enjoyed playing there and the opposition generally did not.

“To get out of this division is very important both for the club and for rugby league in the town.

“Whitebank Stadium is owned by the club and that is vital. It does need a lot of modernisation work doing to it, but hopefully that can be achieved.”


final facts

FOR the first time Roughyeds have been classed as the ‘home’ team in the final which will allow them to wear their normal home kit on the big day.

OLDHAM will go into the final boosted by the knowledge that, away from the Whitebank Stadium, they have beaten every team in the competition this year — for the first time in Oldham Rugby’s 134-year history.

FOR the first time also they have qualified for the final by the ‘easy’ one-game route, thanks to finishing top of the play-off six and beating York 41-32 in the semi-final qualifier.

Nine members of last year’s final team will be in the running again this year — Lucas Onyango, Marcus St Hilaire, Paul O’Connor, Neil Roden, Jason Boults, Martin Roden, Wayne Kerr, Matty Ashe and Ben Heaton.

NO-ONE has played in all three finals, but Onyango (2007, 2009), Neil Roden (2007,2009), Ian Hodson (2007, 2008), O’Connor (2008, 2009) and St Hilaire (2008, 2009) have played in two.