Ex-Huddersfield Giants and Leigh Leopards man relishing new Championship role after retirement

Joe Wardle says he is loving life as a coach after opting to hang up his playing boots at the end of last season. Wardle announced his retirement in October at the age of 33, with the decision bringing an end a 15-year career as a player.

Wardle represented Huddersfield Giants, Castleford Tigers, Leigh Leopards, Newcastle Knights, Bradford Bulls and Barrow Raiders during his career, but he spent last season with Oldham and after helping the club to promotion from League One he has stepped into the dugout at Boundary Park. He has signed a two-year deal to work under Sean Long as an assistant manager and together, the pair are tasked with helping the Roughyeds make a splash in the second tier.

They’ve been ambitious in the recruitment market, with the likes of Josh Drinkwater, Adam Milner and Gil Dudson stepping down from Super League to represent Oldham. And, as they ready themselves for the new Championship season, Oldham are expected to kick on and take the next step in 2025.

Wardle is relishing that challenge and he’s enjoying his new role at the club under the stewardship of Long.

“It’s been pretty good,” Wardle told Roughyeds TV. “It’s been a pretty easy transition to be fair.

“Obviously Longy has been pretty good for me, he’s always helping me out and tipping me up with where I can do things a little bit better or make things easier for myself but we’re fortunate enough to have a good group. The players that have come in are all experienced and they all know what the crack is.

“It’s just a good group again so the lads just crack on whenever we want something doing. We’re pretty fortunate and the bar has been raised a little bit. I think Longy wants it raised a little bit more after Christmas when the games start.

“I’ve been on this project before as a player at Leigh when they had a complete rebuild and now to jump the fence on the other side and see what goes on behind the scenes and all the stuff that needs to happen and take place, it opens your eyes quite a lot. It’s all exciting, I’m enjoying it and looking forward to what we can achieve and how the club progresses over the next year or two.”

Oldham take on Rochdale Hornets and Wigan in friendlies before getting their Championship season underway against York Knights on February 16.