Oldham fail in bid to land rival Championship coach as hunt continues

Championship big hitters Oldham have identified Kyle Eastmond as a potential candidate to take over from Sean Long in 2026: but he looks set to remain at Halifax Panthers instead.

The Roughyeds are on the hunt for a new coach after parting company with Long via mutual consent earlier this month. There had been suggestions that new director of rugby Mike Ford would step up and coach them, but they will instead try and find a permanent replacement for the former Great Britain half-back.

Their search had led them to Eastmond, another former St Helens half-back who is making a big impression as an up-and-coming coach in the game after his first season with Fax.

He guided them to the Championship play-off semi-finals despite having one of the smaller budgets in the division, with the Panthers narrowly coming up short against York Knights in the final four.

Eastmond hails from Oldham and still lives locally, and was a coach the Roughyeds were interested in speaking to about the vacancy at Boundary Park.

However, Eastmond looks set to commit to Halifax for 2026. Love Rugby League has been told that the 36-year-old is keen to continue at the Panthers for at least one more season having put together a squad for next year already, and the club having returned to pre-season training.

That means Oldham may well fail in their bid to lure Eastmond away from The Shay for next year and their attention will turn to other potential targets.

Oldham have begun an aggressive recruitment drive for next year as they look to compete for the second tier title. They will be among the favourites alongside London Broncos and have this week alone announced the signings of Bradford prop Emmanuel Waine and Wigan youngster Harvey Makin.

However, their search for a new head coach remains ongoing.