Preview: Oldham v York
Leeds Rhinos captain Kevin Sinfield will offer his hometown club some top-level advice ahead of Sunday’s Co-operative Championship One Grand Final.
Oldham born Sinfield, 30, will talk to the Roughyeds’ squad on Thursday night about how to win high-pressure games.
Roughyeds coach Tony Benson said: “Kevin’s a good Oldham lad, and we’re delighted he’s coming down to speak to us.”
Benson has told his troops to treat Sunday’s Co-operative Championship One Grand Final just like “any other game”.
The Roughyeds have lost the promotion decider in each of the last three seasons, but Benson believes his team can handle the pressure of their season being defined by 80 minutes of action.
He said: “The first thing is ignoring that fact, and treating it like another game. We’re not changing anything. We’re keeping things low key and focusing on the task ahead – not the result.”
He added: “It’s a game for senior players to guide the younger lads through, but they’ve been doing that all year. We have some very good senior players who are excellent at passing knowledge on. That’s something I’m comfortable with and something I think we can do particularly well.
“York will come out with all guns blazing. They were very good against Blackpool last week, and Chris Thorman led them superbly.”
Victory for York would mean a third promotion for Dave Woods in four full seasons as a head coach. He has previously earned promotion with Castleford and Gateshead.
Woods said: “You’ve got to stay composed, play it like any other game and not get too carried away because that’s when mistakes can start creeping in without you realising.”
He added: “The boys at York have adapted to what I wanted them to do. They’ve come on board and really bought into what we’ve tried to do.
“It’s credit to all the boys that they find themselves in this situation, but we know it’s not going to be easy. Oldham have got the experience because they’ve been here for a few years now.
“We’re expecting a really tough clash. They’ve got some smart halves, good forwards, quick men out wide and an exceptional full-back. We’ll have to be ready for all of that come Sunday.”
Both sides are at full strength for the season’s climax.