Home-grown talents reach for the stars

SUPER League will boast two new home-grown stars in 2010.

Jack Bradbury, a former Saddleworth Rangers centre with tricky footwork, has been handed a first team shirt at St Helens and will hope to feature alongside one of the rugby league world’s hottest young prospects — former St Anne’s prospect turned England scrum-half sensation Kyle Eastmond.

Salford City Reds, meanwhile, reckon they have a gem up their sleeve in scrum-half Marc Sneyd, last season’s junior academy player of the season and a former Waterhead starlet whose kicking game is regarded as being superb.

The duo are the latest in a long and illustrious line of impressive young players who have made it to the top level of domestic rugby league, indicating the remarkable level of talent within the borough.

“If you look at the history, there is a big incentive for young players to follow in the footsteps of players like Barrie McDermott, Paul Sculthorpe, Iestyn Harris and Kevin Sinfield,” said Oldham Service Area competitions manager Gerry Hepworth, who has seen plenty of promising talent come through over the years.

“It is also down to good coaching in our local clubs. They spend a lot of time developing the players and deserve plenty of credit.

“If you look at Jack, he has always shone and has played for the town team right the way through from under-11s level. He was always very skilful and tall, a lot bigger than most of the others in his age group.

“Marc is another very good all-round player, who is an excellent goal kicker. He can play in any position and probably has done so over the years.

“They are the latest in a long line and there are plenty more coming up. You look at recent England Youth selections Danny Yates, Ben White and Lewis Galbraith for example.

“They will all definitely make it, I am sure of that.”

Alongside Sneyd in the Reds squad is prop forward Lee Jewitt, another man who learned his trade in the Waterhead ranks.

Elsewhere, another Waterhead protégé Jordan Turner will be hoping his switch east from Salford to Hull FC pays dividends in terms of the England recognition provided for the likes of fellow Oldham town talents Eastmond, Chris Bridge, of Warrington, and Leeds Rhinos captain Sinfield.

Danny Sculthorpe, brother of former Counthill pupil turned Great Britain megastar Paul, is hoping to revitalise his career after moving to Bradford Bulls, while fellow forward, 22-year-old Eamon O’Carroll, of Wigan and Ireland fame, will also target a better 2010 after suffering from a broken foot last time out which hampered his progress.

Ryan Clayton, Oldham-born brother of ex-Roughyeds forward Adam, has agreed to stay on at Castleford Tigers for another season having originally been released.

And if that isn’t enough proof in itself of the welter of rugby league talent the town produces — not to mention the glut of promising young Oldhamers bubbling under in Super League academies across the north-west — there is also the matter of Chronicle columnist Mark Flanagan, the former Wigan loose forward, who is trying his hand in the NRL with Wests Tigers.