Kilshaw questions Wakefield move

Rochdale coach Alan Kilshaw has taken aim at Dewsbury’s dual registration partner Wakefield ahead of the season-opener this weekend.

Rochdale face the Rams at home this Sunday in their first game of the 2017 season. Dewsbury will be boosted with Wakefield players David Fifita, Max Jowitt, Keegan Hirst and Mason-Caton Brown all named in their 19-man squad.

Trinity coach Chris Chester said earlier this week his four players will get “game-time” with the Rams, ahead of Wakefield’s first Super League game against Hull FC on February 12, a phrase Kilshaw described as disrespectful to the Championship.

“I think the term game-time, to give lads a run because they haven’t played in friendlies, it’s a bit disappointing what Chris [Chester] has said there,” he told the club’s media channel Rochdale 13.

“Every dual registration partnership and relationship is different but I’m sure Glenn [Morrison], like myself, wants to win the game on the weekend.

“If you’re having lads drop back you want them to be in that cause, not just looking for game-time.

“The other side of it is our lads have trained hard since November and they deserve the first cab off the rank. They’ve earned it.

“I don’t know what Dewsbuy’s injury situation is, and as I said everyone manages their own dual registraion. Let Dewsbury deal with that and how that have that relatiionship.

“But you’d be hoping as the Dewsbury coach that those four players came down and all had a dig on the weekend.

“We’ll just focus on ourselves, we won’t be using anyone on dual registration [with Warrington] this weekend.”