Oldham primed for tough spell

Oldham RL players will easily cope with the strength and stamina challenges to come, says club fitness guru Mike Hughes.

Roughyeds players must juggle private lives with full-time work and rugby commitments while facing 12 crucial Championship One games before mid-August.

Starting with Sunday’s visit of Gateshead Thunder to Whitebank (1pm), they go eight weekends without a break for games from Gateshead to Oxford and Wales.

Hughes (26), on secondment from link club Salford City Reds, must make sure the players are strong, fit, fast, injury-free and well-fed.

Widnes-born Hughes splits up his working week between both clubs. When he isn’t at Whitebank his assistant Craig Thomas is. They work closely with head coach Scott Naylor and assistant Lee Spencer — who believe there are two main reasons why the team heads into a tough period relatively free from injury: use of the training facilities at Oasis Academy Oldham, and Hughes’s hard work on conditioning.

Hughes said: “We’ve created team spirit — and a very fit young squad. If we can keep it all together mentally we’ll do well. I don’t think there’s a fitter team in Championship One.”

Naylor said: “Liam Gilchrist’s calf strain is the only injury we’ve had all year and that’s mainly due to the prehab and rehab systems we have in place.”