NRC Preview: Hunslet v Oldham

Hunslet have been rocked by the news that Luke Haigh faces up to 10 weeks on the sidelines after suffering a broken jaw against London.

Hawks coach Paul March said: “We found out on Tuesday that he’d broken it and he had an operation on Wednesday morning. It’s disappointing, but as he comes out, someone else gets an opportunity.”

March added: “I don’t think our performance at London backed up the score. We didn’t get out of second gear and there’s still a lot more to come.

“We’re focused on ourselves and hopefully getting the performances right before the Co-operative Championship One campaign kicks off.”

Marcus St Hilaire could return for Oldham but John Gillam (shoulder) is looking unlikely to feature after taking a knock in Monday’s 22-14 victory over Rochdale.

Oldham coach Tony Benson said: “Our defence was very good on Monday. There were a couple of slip-ups, but as a team we defended really well.

“However, we bombed three tries and that would have given us a different game, so we didn’t score enough points.”

On Hunslet, Benson added: “They’ve put together a really big and really good squad. Their pre-season results have indicated that they’re on track and it’s always a big test going to their place.”