Roughyeds fear player exodus

OLDHAM coach Tony Benson is preparing for a likely player exodus at the end of the season — promotion or not.

Benson, whose own future at the club is up in the air, faces losing important figures from within a squad which has performed so well over recent weeks and now stands 80 minutes away from an unlikely Co-operative Championship One play-off final place at Warrington.

With every player free to talk to other clubs as of September 1, the fear is that many have already agreed deals elsewhere. Scrum-half Thomas Coyle has been strongly linked with a switch to Widnes, while captain Tommy Goulden is rumoured to have been lined up by his home-town club Leigh.

Of the current senior squad, excluding the four remaining first-year professionals, only Phil Joseph has an agreement stretching past this season. And even then it is only an optional one-year extension to his present deal, dependent on the team gaining promotion.

Benson himself has a two-year deal in place but the terms dictate that he will only be in charge in 2010 if the Roughyeds gain promotion to the Championship. Given the enforced loss of four vital players to Barrow midway through the season, it remains to be seen if that strict condition remains in place.

The continuing uncertainty over the ownership of Oldham Rugby League Club (1997) Ltd has led to the current situation, with insiders describing the Roughyeds as “a club in limbo”.

Majority 75-per-cent shareholder Bill Quinn, whose company WM Quinn (UK) Limited entered liquidation at the end of July, publicly announced his intention to sell his stake in the club in the middle of that month.

Though discussions are believed to have been taking place since then with chief executive Chris Hamilton, one of the original founders of the new club, with a view to Quinn relinquishing his role, no deal has been finalised to move the situation on, so enabling the club to put in place plans and budgets for next season.

Oldhamer Iestyn Harris, the former dual code international star, is set to be named as the new Wales RL coach today.