Club to stage McNally talks

RUGBY LEAGUE:

GREGG McNally’s Oldham future will be in the balance when he has played the final game of his initial one-month loan period against Doncaster at Whitebank on Sunday.

As things stand now, the 19-year-old Huddersfield Giants scrum-half is due to return to the Galpharm Stadium next week.

After struggling along with the rest of the team in the 60-4 home hammering by Hunslet, McNally improved for the 28-16 win at Workington and then showed his class in a man-of-the-match performance in Sunday’s 40-26 home victory over Blackpool.

It is likely Oldham will attempt to bring the player back for another loan spell, but with only two games in the next five weeks after Doncaster, any possible move could happen later in the season in order to make it cost-effective.

“Once the Doncaster game is out of the way we’ll sit down to decide what the next move will be,” said Roughyeds chairman Chris Hamilton, who has held brief initial discussions with Huddersfield Giants managing director Richard Thewlis on the player’s future.

“Gregg’s initial loan isn’t up until next week, but we’ll talk among ourselves and then with the player to decide what happens after that.”

Roughyeds have two blank Sundays coming up, June 20 and June 27, before they go to Gateshead on July 4 and then take on Swinton at home on July 11.

Several players will be in for treatment tonight as the team prepare for their fifth game at Whitebank out of the last six, and coach Tony Benson is unlikely to name a squad before Saturday at the earliest.

The chairman, meanwhile, has publicly praised the work being done by coach John Hough and his staff at reserve-team level.

“We have high hopes about some of the players in the second team, and that is the result of all the hard work that has been put in to get good players to come here in the first place,” he said.

Roughyeds reserves will seek their third win in a row when they play Sheffield Eagles at Whitebank on Saturday (3pm kick-off).