Big local weekend ahead in Rugby League

A busy weekend ahead

Local Rugby League fans have plenty of live action to watch this weekend with the start of the National Conference season tomorrow (Saturday) and Roughyeds in pre-season action at Keighley Cougars on Sunday.

Saturday will see a big day on Waterhead Park where National Cup semi-finalists Waterhead entertain local rivals St Anne's in division three of the NCL -- a match that's sure to attract a bumper crowd.

Saddleworth Rangers, back in division one, face a long trek to Hull to take on Myton, the side 'Head will play at home in the last four of the National Cup, another 'biggie' on Waterhead Park.

As for Roughyeds, they go to Cougar Park on Sunday (3pm kick-off) in a dress rehearsal for the opening game of the Betfred League One season at the Vestacare Stadium on Sunday, March 27.

Cougars lost at Hunslet in round two of the Betfred Challenge Cup but, like Oldham, they have a new-look side that is expected to improve as a team the more they play together.

However, the bookmakers expect the Cougars to do very well indeed in League One and as both teams on Sunday were expected to do better than they did in the Challenge Cup, there will be a pre-season warm-up game in which both teams will want to hit back in style.

On the national scene, meanwhile, the realignment of the RFL and Super League mirrors what Oldham RLFC has done locally with their Partners Programme -- the new link-up which brings together the local Rugby League stakeholder organisations such as Oldham RLFC, the Oldham Amateur League, Rugby Oldham (the Supporters' Trust), the Oldham RL Heritage Trust,  the (Past) Players' Association, and YEDS, the Oldham RLFC supporters' group.

Oldham Council is also involved in the Partners' discussions about Rugby League in the borough in the future.

We all have Rugby League at heart -- and we are all in this together !

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