Roden eyes return

NEIL RODEN: targeting June 10 comeback.

NEIL Roden is targeting Oldham RL Club’s next game at North Wales Crusaders on June 10 for his long-awaited comeback after injury.

If he makes it, the Roughyeds captain will be back to lead the side for the first time in nine weeks, a spell in which he has watched in anguish as an injury-hit squad has lost five and drawn one of its last six league games.

He said: “I’ve never been out for so long before, and now I’m just itching to get playing again.

“I’ve found it very hard to watch when the team hasn’t been doing very well.

“You try to help in any way you can, but when you’re not on the field you don’t feel part of it.”

With no game this Sunday the players have had a mid-season break — an arrangement planned at the start of the year.

When they report back for training on Tuesday, Roden expects to be at the head of the queue.

He added: “I’ve done some running and ball work already, and the plan is that I will train normally next week and hopefully be ready to throw my hat into the selection ring for the game against North Wales.

“In two of the four sessions leading up to the South Wales game I did all the running that everyone else did, and I played in a non-contact game against the reserves.

“I also did a bit of kicking and that felt all right.”





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