Chappell in contention for debut

NATHAN CHAPPELL

NATHAN Chappell may be in contention to make his Oldham debut in Sunday's Law Cup game at Bower Fold after putting in a full training session last night.

The former Sheffield Eagles centre or back-row forward (27), a new signing, hasn't played in either of the Roughyeds' pre-season games up to now while in rehab after a knee operation.

Danny Grimshaw, in a similar situation after groin surgery, also trained flat out last night, raising hopes that he may get his first run-out of the year.

"Both of them will be in contention for Sunday if they suffer no adverse affects and are able to do another full session on Thursday," said coach Scott Naylor.

He confirmed that Michael Ward and Gareth Owen, who didn't play at Barrow, would also be in the running to face derby rivals Rochdale Hornets (3pm kick-off).

On the flip side, Liam Thompson (back), Adam Clay (knee), Ben Davies (back) and Joe Burke (foot) didn't train last night, but Clay and Davies were each held back as a precaution and will be assessed again by the medical team tomorrow night.

Burke has had an x-ray and the club is now waiting for a report from the radiologist. The Welsh prop travelled to Barrow last Sunday, but complained of pain in his foot before the game and withdrew from the squad.

Danny Langtree (hamstring) is progressing well while on intense rehab and might be back for the first Championship game at Bower Fold against Sheffield Eagles on February 5.

Craig Briscoe, who will miss most, if not all, of the season, will have a major knee reconstruction next week, after which he will do much of his rehab at the Roughyeds' partner club, Huddersfield Giants.

Looking ahead to the Rochdale game, which he expects to be a typically full-on derby battle, Naylor said the mood in the Roughyeds camp was upbeat and positive.

He added: "We talked about one or two things from the Barrow game. What concerned me most was the amount of time Barrow spent near our line, but a lot of our stats were better than they were at Swinton and we'll be looking to improve again on Sunday."