Luke Forber: The sky is the limit for this group

Rochdale Hornets winger Luke Forber believes that the club's impressive current form can see them mount a sustained challenge at the top of the Betfred League 1 standings.

The Hornets were without a game last weekend but remained third in the division following Hunslet’s away defeat to Oldham.

Gary Thornton’s side are back on the road with a trip to second-placed Keighley Cougars on Sunday, with the Hornets looking to extend their winning streak to six games.

The club’s last defeat came in the reverse fixture against Keighley at the Crown Oil Arena at the end of April, although a high-scoring 42-30 defeat did see Forber score his first hat-trick of the season. 

Indeed, the move to the wing has proven beneficial for him, with 13 tries in nine games. Forber, who celebrates his 26th birthday on Saturday, has also twice been named in Rugby League World’s Team of the Month during the 2024 season. 

On the Hornets’ current form, Forber said: “We are in a good place at the minute. Hopefully we can build on that with these next tests to come.

“I’m feeling more confident in every game we play, and I’m grateful to have been given the new position out on the wing.

“It’s always nice to score a try and help out the team, but I have to give credit to the lads for doing all the hard work and giving me the easy task of finishing moves off.”

Despite the club’s fine form, there remains a six-point gap between the Hornets and the top two, with Keighley and table-topping Oldham both locked on 22 points. 

A win this weekend would hand the Cougars their second league defeat of the season, cutting the deficit to four, and Forber says the squad are in confident mood as they look to return to Greater Manchester with two more points to their name. 

He added: “We know it’s not going to be an easy fixture, but with our recent form and good preparation, we can go down to Keighley and give it a good go.

“If we stay on it and remain disciplined from start to finish, then we will give ourselves a good chance of coming out on top.

“There’s a good attitude within the squad, and hopefully we can come out at the end of July pushing for those top positions in the league table.”