Joy jolt

Photo: Tim Bradley

Oldham v Batley at Manchester Regional Arena at the Etihad Complex. Oldham's Phil Joy

PHIL Joy's ill-fated 2017 rugby league season is over after he dislocated his left shoulder for a second time in his first game back.

The big prop was in his second spell of his comeback game against Batley Bulldogs yesterday when his shoulder 'popped' and he was led off the field and then to hospital.

"That's it for the season for Phil," said coach Scott Naylor. "The surgeon told him there was a risk, but Phil was keen to play. It was one of those situations where he might have got through for several weeks .

"It's a serious blow for him and for the club. I've never known anyone to be so keen and so pro-active in doing everything he could to get back as quickly as he could."

A dejected and disconsolate Joy said: "I had to give it a go."

Roughyeds led 22-10 midway through the first half, winger Adam Clay having registered an impressive hat-trick of tries, but Bulldogs were level by half-time and then completely dominated the second half to finish comfortable 48-28 victors.

'HIGHER'

Including Roughyeds, the bottom five clubs in the KP Championship all lost so Naylor's men remain in eighth place although Batley, one place higher, have now opened up a three-point gap.

Oldham have a game in hand on all the bottom-half clubs apart from Dewsbury Rams and they play two of them, Rochdale and Swinton, in their next two outings.

Bitterly disappointed with his side's performance against Batley, Naylor said: "Other than tell them how to play I don't see what else I can do.

"Whenever we turn up in the right mood and everyone is switched on to play we can beat anybody in this division, or at the very least run them close.

"But when it doesn't come together we're conceding 40 or 50 points. I've never known anything like it."

Oldham's next big test is the televised Summer Bash meeting with derby rivals Rochdale at Bloomfield Road, Blackpool on Saturday, kick-off 2.30pm