Former Super League hooker Matty Wildie has inked a contract extension with ambitious Championship outfit Oldham for 2026.<\/p>\n
Wildie<\/a>, who will turn 35 in October, has featured 36 times across all competitions for the Roughyeds to date having joined them ahead of the 2024 campaign.<\/p>\n The veteran is vice-captain at Boundary Park, and enjoyed a starring role last term as Sean Long<\/a>\u2018s side gained promotion as League 1 champions.<\/p>\n An elbow injury earlier this year saw him require surgery and halted his progress in the Championship<\/a>, but now back fit, he has put pen to paper on his new deal.<\/p>\n Veteran former Super League hooker pens new Championship deal as leadership qualities lauded<\/p>\n Wildie\u2019s first senior appearance came for hometown club Wakefield Trinity, lining up in the halves against Huddersfield Giants back in August 2010.<\/p>\n 15 years on, he now has 292 first-team appearances to his name having donned a shirt for Batley Bulldogs, Doncaster, Dewsbury Rams, Featherstone Rovers, Bradford Bulls and Leigh as well as both Trinity and Oldham<\/a>.<\/p>\n After signing on the dotted line for 2026, he said: \u201cI\u2019m delighted to get it over the line and be here for an extra year.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve really enjoyed my time here so far. The position the club has come from when I first came here to where we are now is massive, so I am looking forward to being part of another year.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe in what the club is doing. We are making massive strides and I feel really at home with the lads and the coaching staff.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have been at clubs who have been up there to start with and this has been a bit of a different journey. It is one I have really enjoyed and to see the progression the club is making is really pleasing.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we can do our bit on the field and help with that then we will continue to do so and strive to get better.<\/p>\n \u201cI play to win and winning is a big ambition. You want to play at the highest level possible for as long as your body will let you do that.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will be pushing to play as high as we can and we need to finish strong this year. We have our own goals for this year and we will strive to achieve that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have plenty of leaders in the team and I get a lot of help from them, so I am not just on my own. JT (Jordan Turner) has been a massive help for me and learning from the kind of leader he is and also Drinky (Josh Drinkwater).\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018He has been a brilliant servant to rugby league and I hope he has more exciting chapters in his career still to come\u2019<\/p>\n Head coach Long had previously worked with Wildie, whose career appearance tally includes just over 50 games at Super League level, at Featherstone.<\/p>\n He named the hooker Oldham\u2019s Coaches\u2019 Player of the Year at the end of their 2024 League 1<\/a> title-winning campaign.<\/p>\n With Wildie\u2019s future now secured, Long said: \u201cMatty is a class act and a key part of our leadership group, so I am really pleased to keep him here for another year.<\/p>\n \u201cWe missed him during his injury this year and his game management really sets the tone for our team.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has been a brilliant servant to rugby league and I hope he has more exciting chapters in his career still to come.\u201d<\/p>\n THURSDAY\u2019S READS ON LRL<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49\ud83c\udffb Lewis Dodd makes decision on NRL future as Wayne Bennett makes telling comment<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49\ud83c\udffb Super League owner suggests move to SIXTEEN teams after expansion<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49\ud83c\udffb Leading Super League coach \u2018unsure\u2019 on expansion as key problem queried<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49\ud83c\udffb South Sydney Rabbitohs star weighing up move to England with offers on table<\/a><\/p>\n