NORTH WALES CRUSADERS players are getting the opportunity to make the most of a rare break away from action.

There was no weekend match in League One for the Crusaders this weekend and it’s a similar situation next Sunday.

Carl Forster’s side will return to action on May 17 with a testing home clash versus Keighley Cougars.

Following last Sunday’s loss away to Hunslet, Crusaders players were given more than a week off.

Head coach Forster told CruCast: “It’s probably not ideal coming off two defeats, but the lads have obviously got nine days off.

“It was a pre-planned time off so that they could get away with families, work, whatever it may be.

“I told them about this time off when the fixtures first come out just so they could plan something, because I think after this we’re pretty ruthless with the fixtures.

“We’re in all the way until the Challenge Cup final week and then we finish the season.

“So, this is probably our only break we get now.

“They’ll have nine days off and then we’ve got two weeks’ preparation for, obviously, a big Keighley game.

“Hopefully, Matt Reid will probably be back, Ben Evans, so that will be two big experienced players for us to come back in and depending, obviously, how Owain (Abel) is over the next two weeks, we’ll be looking to bring somebody in.”

Initial impressions on Abel’s knee injury aren’t too good and Forster said: “If it’s as we first fear, I don’t think we’ll see Owain for a while.”

There were big wins yesterday for Oldham and Rochdale Hornets.

Oldham’s 74-0 hammering of Newcastle Thunder was enough to put them in pole position.

Rochdale were 56-24 winners at home to Cornwall.

Both Newcastle and Cornwall remain in the bottom two after failing to grab a win between them in the first six weeks of the seasons

Hunslet moved into third place in the table after ending Keighley Cougars six-match winning run yesterday.

Hunslet triumphed 26-18 while Workington Town surprisingly slipped up, losing 26-16 at home to Midlands Hurricanes.