Paul Crook joins Oldham coaching staff in twin role

Veteran half-back Paul Crook will combine playing with coaching at Oldham in 2019.

The 32-year-old sees his transition from player to assistant coach to be a natural one, having signed a one-year deal as player-coach, with the option for a second year.

Crook had offers elsewhere, but he has decided to stick by the Roughyeds as they aim to gain promotion to the Championship in 2019.

On his new deal, Crook commented: “For a while now I’ve been thinking about coaching when I finish playing.

“The opportunity I was offered by Chris (Hamilton) and Scott (Naylor) to play and have some coaching input and responsibility at the same time dovetailed nicely with my plans for the future.

“I had a couple of other options, but I thoroughly enjoyed my first season at Oldham and that was just one of a few reasons why I signed to stay.

“To be honest we were all disappointed with where we finished last season and I didn’t want to leave on that note.

“I wanted to be part of a squad and a club that would redeem itself in 2019 and put right last season’s wrongs.

“Another big factor was the opportunity to get into coaching and to work alongside men of the calibre of Scott and Pete. That was a massive factor.

“I like the idea of having an input, seeing what I can do and testing whether coaching really is something for me.”

Crook played 28 games alongside half-back partner Dave Hewitt last season, building a strong combination at the Roughyeds.