Oldham sign Castleford starlet Kieran Gill on loan

Drew Darbyshire

Oldham have signed promising centre Kieran Gill on a one-month loan deal from Castleford.

The 22-year-old has recently recovered from a knee reconstruction. He is now fully fit and in contention to play for the Roughyeds in their Betfred League 1 clash with Keighley Cougars on Sunday.

It will be Gill’s third stint with Oldham, after scoring eight tries in 12 games in 2016 and five tries in nine appearances last season.

He has scored on his Super League debut for Castleford last year, but suffered a serious knee injury in the game, which put him on the sidelines for ten months.

On his return to Oldham, he said: “I don’t know how it all came about but when I knew there was a chance of going back to Oldham I jumped at it.

“I’m ready to play and I can’t wait. I’m hoping to play on Sunday, but that’s not down to me. I’ve been waiting ten months for my first game back and, to be honest, I feel as confident as ever.

“Before all my rehab even started, I promised myself I would be back bigger, better and stronger and I’ll be out to prove that when I get back on the field.

“It will be my third spell at Oldham and that in itself says a lot about what I think of the club. They’re a great bunch of lads, Scott (Naylor) and the staff are first-rate and the fans are amazing.”

Roughyeds coach, Scott Naylor, added: “We know all about Kieran and he knows all about us.

“He can play centre or wing so he’ll add to our options, which is exactly what we need. He won’t be match fit, but he’ll be generally fit and very strong and he’ll be dying to play rugby again after ten months out.

“On top of that, he knows our structures and our systems because he’s played a lot of games for us. It should be a very smooth transition for him.”