Cookson awarded testimonial

John and his two children at the opening of the John Cookson 100 Club

Rochdale Hornets forward John Cookson has been awarded a three month testimonial by the RFL for 10 years of service to rugby league.

The 30-year-old prop forward began his career at Leigh Centurions before making the move to Spotland in 2010, and has been a vital part of the team ever since.

He is delighted to have been handed a testimonial and although nothing has been scheduled yet he is currently planning events for the New Year.

“It is a proud moment and I’m looking forward to it,” commented Cookson. “I’m excited to get things going and obviously it will be a proud day for my family so I can’t wait really.

“We will have a friendly at the beginning of the year but nothing is in writing yet. I’m still passing ideas around my mates and the committee of Rammy (Dave Ramsbottom) and Ryan (Bradley, CEO) but we should have some events planned soon.”

Having played the game since the age of eight, Cookson has gone on to play over 100 games for the Hornets, and in doing so became the first player to reach a century of appearances for the club in the fan-owned era.

To commemorate his achievement the club opened ‘The John Cookson 100 Club’ suite at Spotland Stadium, and although it was an honour Cookson was disappointed at this lack of game time in 2015 due to injury.

“That was quite a big thing for me. It was kept as a surprise for me on the night but I feel as though I have let it down a bit by not playing as much last year to be honest. Hopefully this year will be better for me and I’ll play a few games.”

Last season was one to forget for the front rower as he picked up a season ending injury away to Newcastle Thunder after working hard to force his way into the squad.

Cookson admitted that he felt like throwing in the towel after his injury but he wanted to carry on playing in front of his children for at least another year.

“It wasn’t the best of beginnings last year and at times it made me think do I want to carry on but I didn’t want to end on anything like that.

“Here I am again at the start of another pre-season and whether that was the best choice we will see.”

The determination to avoid ending his career on a bad note led to him signing with Hornets for another season, however he is also looking forward to working with Alan Kilshaw in 2016.

He said: “I think we needed a bit of a change. He seems like a nice guy and hopefully we will do well this year and have a good team spirit, because that is something he is aiming for.”

Cookson has been a great servant to the club over the past six seasons and it has been a while since the Hornets fans saw him run out for their club. He is looking forward to his return to the game and is raring to go, even if pre-season is taking its toll so far.

“It feels like an eternity since I last played. I’ve took a couple of hits in training and I’m a bit sore getting used to it all again but I can’t wait to start playing again.”