Featherstone Rovers boss James Webster pleased with pre-season win over Oldham

Rovers used 27 players - with Webster giving everyone who was fit and available some game time - and ran in 12 tries.

Ben Blackmore, Brad Day and Dean Parata all bagged a brace for the hosts, who led 36-4 at half-time.

Tom Holmes, James Harrison, Connor Jones, Nu Brown, John Davies and Jacob Doyle got the others and Craig Hall booted five conversions.

Brown and Harvey Spence both failed to find the target from two attempts.

It was Rovers’ first game for 51 weeks and Webster said: “For a friendly, the first thing you are happy about is getting through with no injuries, which we did.

“It was a good hit out, the boys said they were a little bit off in some of their contacts so it was fantastic to give them a chance to feel what it was like again to turn up at a stadium, get dressed and get ready to play against someone else other than your own teammates.”

He insisted: “I did not care at all about the score, I just cared about our performance, where we have to improve and where we don’t.

“It was a pleasing effort and some of the boys have answered some questions.”

Brown, Rovers’ new signing from the NRL, was among the substitutes and Webster said: “He got half an hour.

“He hadn’t played for a long time and because of Covid he hadn’t done a lot of training.

“We thought half an hour was about right for him.

“Dane Chisholm did the same, about half an hour.

“Some of our players played about half a game, but I wanted to give the younger players a chance to play a game as well.

“It was good that everyone played at least 20 minutes.

“We should be over the soreness from this week and by the time the first [competitive] game comes it is not a shock to the system.”

Rovers take on Batley Bulldogs in another warm-up game on Saturday.

Their Betfred Challenge Cup campaign begins at home to Bradford Bulls - who were beaten by Swinton Lions in their opening practice match - the following weekend.

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