Owen confirmed as Oldham captain

Oldham native Gareth Owen will captain the Roughyeds in 2017, the club has confirmed.

The 24-year-old hooker succeeds Lewis Palfrey in the captaincy role, and club coach Scott Naylor believes that the “proud Oldhamer” will be success in the role.

“He’s club captain as well as team captain – and for a lad who was born and brought up in the town that’s something special,” said Naylor.

“Since he came to the club in 2014, ‘Gaz’ has been nothing but exceptional.

“He was made up when we offered him the captaincy and he was as proud as punch to accept. He didn’t even hesitate for a few seconds. He jumped at it.

“He’s a captain the other lads will look to, listen to and respect. He’s an important member of he team and I know he’ll do a good job.”

As a hooker, Owen is unlikely to be on the field for 80 minutes every week, but Naylor sees no conflict with his role as skipper.

“We’re a 17-man game, and to pick a captain just because he is likely to be on the field for 80 minutes would be to do so for the wrong reasons,” he added.

“He has two vice-captains to help him out but, more importantly, ‘Gaz’ is captain of Oldham RLFC and there’s a lot more to that than leading the side every Sunday. He is club captain, with all that entails.”