Hornets buzzing
ROCHDALE Hornets kick off their long-awaited Kingstone Press Championship campaign this Sunday as they welcome Dewsbury Rams to the Crown Oil Arena.
The last time they were in competitive action was during their dramatic League 1 Promotion Final victory in France, where they became the only team to defeat Toulouse Olympique to gain a place in the second tier.
It has been a successful pre-season period for Alan Kilshaw’s men, as they were competitive in a loss against a full strength Salford Red Devils side before they clinched the Law Cup at Bower Fold with a 24-12 win over rivals Oldham.
They rounded off their preparations with a heartbreaking defeat to Warrington Wolves, as they lost out to a try in the last play of the game which robbed them of a shock victory, as Harvey Livett’s touchline conversion after the hooter clinched a 24-22 win for the visitors.
The Hornets will take plenty of positives from the three run-outs they have had as it has allowed the new faces within the squad to get some game time under their belts playing to Kilshaw’s structures.
It has also allowed Danny Yates to work on his combinations with his new half-back partner Lewis Palfrey, who was named club captain on Monday afternoon.
The League 1 young player of the year from last season is looking forward to playing alongside the club’s new number six and feels he was a great choice for the 2017 captaincy.
“Palf’s a good lad and he’s slotted in with the boys really well,” Yates said.
“I think we both bring something a bit different and we’re both pretty vocal. He’s a good leader and we’ve already seen he can kick a ball off a tee which will always be good for us.
“He’s a good player and I’ll try to play off the back of that and I think we will go well together.”
Another new face at the club is Miles Greenwood, who made the switch from Halifax alongside Ryan Maneely, Jake Eccleston and Gavin Bennion.
As well as wearing the number one jersey he has also taken up the role of Head of Strength and Conditioning after the departure of Ryan Gibney, and he has been impressed with the efforts if his team mates in the off-season.
“We’ve done pre and post tests and pretty much everyone has shown significant improvement in all the markers,” explained Greenwood.
“Everyone likes working hard and they have all brought into systems we’ve brought in, myself and the other coaches are really pleased.
“I had a chat with Killer at training and we both agreed that we don’t think pre-season could have gone any better. Obviously we’d have liked three wins out of three in the games but in terms of training, and the intensity and levels the lads have worked at it’s been bang on.”
Rochdale’s fullback is now chomping at the bit to get their league campaign up and running this weekend, and is confident they will have a good year in the Championship.
‘Sunday is when things start getting exciting and when we start enjoying it more’
“I can’t wait. That’s what the lads want to do and that’s what I want to do, we want to start competing and playing.
“Sunday is when things really start getting exciting and that’s when we start