So here we are, the Betfred Championship resumes tomorrow (Friday) and the opening fixture is Salford v Oldham. Last year’s bottom Super League club — now re-formed as Salford RLFC — versus the Championship’s fourth place team from 2025.
Oldham’s final game last season was a 40-4 home drubbing to Halifax in the first round of the playoffs. New Salford CEO Ryan Brierley was Oldham’s fullback and he surely had one eye on the events over in Salford as they bowed out of Super League. It’s a bit fitting that the two clubs now open up the new season but god knows how the game is going to pan out.
Salford have rapidly put together a brand new squad with experienced hooker Brad Dwyer being the latest signing today.
Oldham have parted company with coach Sean Long and haven’t really replaced him. Sam Burgess’s pet snake Mike Ford is supposedly Director of Rugby and possibly current head coach, maybe.
Callum Irving is the only coach listed on the club website where he’s shown as an assistant, with Alan Kilshaw arriving in the past week or so. He says he’s the attacking coach. Okey dokey.
Squads #
The clubs have announced their respective 21 man squads with graphics on Space Karen’s X and as far as I know, Zuckerberg’s Faceplant. Salford chose a red and black colour scheme to match their playing kit. Oldham went with Coventry City blue fading to foggy white at the bottom — I presume it’s a nod to their new blue away strip.
The fade on the Oldham effort makes the higher numbered Oldham players harder to read and I’d have placed Cole Geyer on the left looking into the graphic. Is he doing a Tommy Cooper impression?
I like the Salford design and it’s interesting to note that each listed player has already been sponsored. I don’t think that’s the case with Oldham, despite have a commercial team as part of the backroom staff. Go figure.
Salford have used Oldham’s previous iteration of the shit town crest. The one with a shit shield that I hated so much.
Oldham have used a one colour version of both clubs’ logos, which works for Salford and not for Oldham, because modern thinking versus dinosaurs.
Also, the new Oldham logo with the missing shield and silly ORLFC 1876 is equally as shite as the shield version.
The Game #
I can’t even guess at the team Salford will select but presumably Dwyer will play.
I imagine that Oldham will leave out Geener and Littler. Drinkwater will partner Dean in the halves meaning Smith will sit it out. Then anyone from Nisbet, Makin, Purcell or O’Keefe will make up the team.
The Salford crowd will outnumber the Oldham presence and be loud and vocal — it’s their big relaunch night after all. It’ll be a low scoring first twenty minutes with Salford displaying herculean enthusiasm and Oldham soaking up the pressure. Salford may even score first and the ground will erupt in joy.
By halftime the visitors will have troubled the scoreboard and will go into the sheds leading by a couple of scores.
The second half will begin in a similar way to the first but Oldham will take control quicker, ending up comfortable winners on the night. I’ll say a final score of 42-10 to Oldham.
Salford will benefit from the run-out but I’m not sure Oldham will gain much from the event, other than yardage in the legs. The tougher test will follow down in London once the challenge cup games against Orrell and probably Dewsbury are out of the way.