Roughyeds relying on hard graft

OLDHAM RL new boy John Clough is tipping the Roughyeds to be a force in Co-operative Championship One this season on the back of graft and grunt.

Tough pre-season training schedules over the past ten weeks will end soon, ahead of the big kick-off against Hunslet Hawks at Whitebank on Sunday week, February 6, in the Northern Rail Cup.

Clough says the Roughyeds' demanding preparatory work, under the supervision of conditioner and assistant coach Martin Roden, will serve the squad well in the hard NRC round-robin games against Championship sides Hunslet and Halifax, big-spending Championship One outfit Swinton Lions and Whitehaven.

The 26-year-old former Salford, Leigh and Blackpool No 9 said: "We've been working on a lot of things in training.

"We've rolled up our sleeves and grafted over the pre-season programme and we are determined to keep working hard because we know we will get our rewards on the pitch."