Oldham wait on Giants quartet

FOUR of the young Huddersfield Giants players who did a great job for Oldham on loan or dual-registration last season are included in the Super League club’s 28-man first-team squad for 2016.

Newly-promoted Roughyeds, now one of the 12 Championship clubs, have again linked up with the Giants, but it remains to be seen whether Jake Connor, Josh Johnson, Nathan Mason and Oliver Roberts will be made available to Scott Naylor this time round.

Oldham-born Mason made 16 appearances with his home-town club in the promotion campaign and the prop forward would have played even more games but for the regulations. Connor played twice for Oldham; Johnson five times; Roberts eight times. All four were handed jerseys when Giants boss Paul Anderson announced his squad for 2016, with Connor numbered 18, Johnson 19, Mason 21 and Roberts 22.

Roberts has since been named by ‘Rugby League World’ magazine as one of five youngsters with Super League clubs expected to make a mark at the top level in the coming season.

Naylor and Anderson, former team-mates at Bradford Bulls, are in regular dialogue about Oldham’s use of young Giants for the mutual benefit of both clubs.

They are expected to be in touch next week ahead of the Roughyeds’ pre-season games at Keighley on January 10, at Rochdale (Law Cup) on January 17 and at Barrow on January 24.

In a similar pattern to last year, Naylor has gone for three warm-up games, followed by a blank weekend before the Championship campaign begins with a home game against London Broncos at Bower Fold, Stalybridge on February 7.