Oldham land local lad Matthew Fletcher

Drew Darbyshire 16 Jan 2020 9:20 AM

Oldham have signed forward Matthew Fletcher after he returned home following a stint in Australia.

The 19-year-old has returned to the local area following a year playing for Valleys Diehards and Norths Devils in Brisbane, Australia.

Fletcher grew up supporting the Roughyeds and played his junior rugby at Waterhead.

He said: “I loved it there but I had to come home when my visa expired and I told my agent in Australia that Oldham would be the club for me if I had a choice.

“I’ve supported Roughyeds since I was a boy. I know Gareth Owen and Danny Bridge; I know Matt Diskin (coach) from our Bradford days; and I’m back living in Oldham so it made sense to sign for my hometown club if I got the opportunity.

“I trained on Tuesday night and I’m hoping to make my debut against St Helens on Saturday at the Vestacare Stadium, but because Norths Devils come under the auspices of the NRL I need formal approval first before I can play.”

Oldham coach Matt Diskin said: “Matthew is a real talent.

“As a boy he played as a half-back, but in more recent years, as he’s got bigger, he plays as a forward through the middle channels, but he’s still got his ball-handling skills and he has a good offload.

“He’s a lad with a great attitude, he works very hard and he’s keen to do the best he can and progress up the ladder.”