Championship 1 Preview: Rochdale Hornets v Hemel Stags

Rochdale Hornets pair Dave Llewellyn and Jordan Case will both face late fitness tests to prove their availability for Sunday’s Kingstone Press Championship One showdown with Hemel Stags.

Hornets secured a 54-10 win against Gloucestershire All Golds last week, but coach Ian Talbot will not be taking Hemel lightly.

He said: “Having been involved with St Helens over the last few years, I’ve seen first hand the talent pool down in London.

“There are a lot of good players down there that are starting to come through. Mike Bishay is a really good player – we’re just hoping he’ll be involved with London Broncos this week rather than playing against us!”

Hemel coach Troy Perkins admits he is not sure whether Bishay will play, while winger Harry Mostyn is also unavailable this week.

Perkins said: “This is probably one of the toughest away games we’ll get this season. Rochdale have had some decent form.

“I don’t know a lot about their individuals, but I know they’ll be a tough proposition up there and they’re doing a promotion on tickets to get a big crowd behind them.”

He added: “We spend a lot of time on attack, but we really work hard on defence – that’s what we pride ourselves on. If you’re frustrating teams then you can score off the back of that.”